Viper
by Miss Singing in the Rain
Summary: Coral wished she was a normal girl. Normal girls weren't raised by Neo-Nazi organizations to be soldiers, spies, weapons of mass destruction. Normal girls' sisters didn't try to murder them every time they saw each other. Normal girls didn't become S.H.I.E.L.D. agents at twelve and Avengers at fourteen. But no, she had to be as abnormal as could be. She had to be the Viper.
1. Tesseract Lost

**A/N: Okay, here we go! Hello everyone! First time writing for Marvel as a traditionally DC girl, hope this goes well.  
**

 **I originally was going to post the first part of this character's "solo" movie, but I figured this would be the better hook. Hope it works.**

 **The non-MCU characters are played by the following.**

 **En Sabah Nur: Omar Metwally  
**

 **Agent Coral King: Keke Palmer**

 **If you don't like the castings, feel free to cast your own.**

 **Hausa is the language the characters speak in this chapter (apart from English of course). I'm so sorry if I got the translation wrong, I do not know the language myself and know no one who does. The phrases spoken are the following:**  
 _"So sorry, I gotta take this."_ **a** **nd** _"Now's the time, kids!"  
_ **The leader's speech is not something I will translate. ;)**

 **The Ringtone in this chapter is the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Opening Theme.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the MCU. If I did, there would be way more characters of color, no white-washing, and more POC and female-led movies. If that bothers you, I suggest you read no further.  
**

Tesseract Lost

1 May 2012

Jungles of the Republic of the Congo

An egyptian man stood on a podium, behind him, hulking men of similar stature and a young African girl, braided black hair held back by a green bandana. Behind them was a black banner, a red symbol similar to the design of a TIE Advanced x1 fighter.

"Yau karshen Tsakiya," the man declared to his audience, which mostly consisted of camo-clad men and boys, some of them with burning eyes, others with empty ones, with a few girls scattered throughout. The majority of the girls were off to the side of the group, sitting or kneeling in a locked enclosure with a guard at the gate. "The karshen wata gwamnatin da acquiesces to cuta. A wannan sosai lokacin a cikin wani tsarin da nisa daga nan, da New Jamhuriyar ta'allaka ne ga galaxy yayin asirce da goyon bayan wata yaudara daga rogues na Resistance. Wannan m na'ura da ka gina, bisa abin da muka tsaya zai kawo karshen majalisar dattijai, to su lura rundunar. All sauran tsarin zai sallamãwa farko Order da za su tuna da wannan a matsayin ranar karshe na Jamhuriyar!"

The soldiers raised their right fists in salute.

Suddenly, organ music played out of nowhere, followed by the upbeat rock music of an electric guitar. The girl on the podium looked sheepish before saying, "Sai hakuri, na za yi wannan." She then pulled out a phone and asked, "Yeah?"

"Time to shut it down, call me back when you're done," came the voice of Phil Coulson.

"Got it." She hung up and pressed a number on the side, before turning to the incredulous crowd. "Yanzu's lokaci, kids!"

The next thing anyone knew, half the child soldiers were pointing guns on their fellow captives, with the girl leading the charge, staring down the leader of the horde, barretta leveled at his chest.

"En Sabah Nur, you are under arrest," she stated calmly, even as his lieutenants aimed their weapons at her, waiting for the execution order. The man sneered.

"By you and what army, little girl?" Said girl merely grinned. The sound of screeching tires echoed nearby as several military vehicles broke through the forest and into the clearing, surrounding the terrorists on all sides. Heavily armed masked men clambered out, as the leader leaned off of the side of a truck, speaker to his mouth.

"We are the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division! Lower your weapons," the black-clad man with the American accent ordered. The Leader looked to the girl holding the gun with disgust.

"You heard the man," she smiled. He growled but got to his knees, where the girl quickly disarmed and handcuffed him. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents led the man away with his loyal followers, as the team's leader rounded on the girl.

"King, what were you thinking?"

"Sorry, Ward, orders from up top," she stated, not sounding particularly sorry as she strode over to the enclosure, broke the lock, and began helping the girls get to their feet.

"What do you - they're supposed to contact you through me!" Grant Ward cried indignantly.

"Well, this time they didn't. If it makes you feel better, you were an essential part of taking down Clan Akkaba," she smiled. Again, not sounding sincere. She turned back to her current S.O. having helped the last girl get up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a call to make." With that, she strode past him to a more isolated area, patting child soldiers on their shoulders and backs and giving them reassuring looks as she went. As soon as the noise of the vehicles was sufficiently dampened by the trees, she redialed the last used number.

"How you doin', Phil?"

"We're at a Level Seven, Coral."

Her blood turned to ice.

Level Seven.

She'd never been through a level seven event before. Technically, she shouldn't even have been through a level one event. But needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few. So, she steeled her nerves and, gripping her phone tightly, asked, "What do you need me to do?"

 **THE AVENGERS**


	2. Introductions

**A/N: The language spoken in this chapter (apart from English is Russian and the phrases are the following:**

 **"Я не тот, который вы должны быть обеспокоены." and "Как ты держишься?" and "Но ты один я могу беспокоиться."**

 **The Pronunciations and English translations are in the chapter below.**

 **The two new characters not from the movie are played by Elle Fanning and Isabelle Fuhrman. Again, these castings are merely my own vision, you are welcome to imagine your own.  
**

 **As always, please review, follow, favorite, and above all, enjoy!**

Introductions

Phil Coulson hurried across the Helicarrier just as a Quinjet touched down. The moment the ramp opened, Agent Coral King stumbled out, back in a black S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform with an orange headband and belt, looking a bit green around the edges but no worse for wear. "Welcome back to Earth," Coulson greeted, throwing an arm over her shoulders to help her steady herself.

"Happy to be back," she smiled, color starting to return to her face. They started walking together. "So, how was meeting Captain America?"

"I may or may not have said I watched him sleeping." Coral snorted. "Tell me, as first impressions go, how would that rank?"

"Probably memorable to say the least." He winced. "Oh don't worry so much. At least he has no idea what Twilight is. Otherwise you'd _really_ be screwed."

"I'm never gonna live this down, am I."

" _Never_ ," the girl grinned, already plotting all the blackmail and joke opportunities she could milk this for. They made it inside as the Helicarrier began to shift into flight mode.

"How was Clan Akkaba?" Coulson asked as the ship gained altitude, nodding at passing agents as he went.

"We dealt with Nur and saved the kids with no casualties. However, I didn't have enough time to figure out if anyone other than Chimera was working with them."

"We might still get that outta Nur and the operative you were impersonating." He patted Coral on the back. "Great work." She snorted.

"You might wanna tell that to Ward; he was a bit pissy over not getting contacted by HQ."

"We'll deal with him after we deal with the current moody black haired pain in the ass who's making our lives difficult."

They entered the Bridge, where dozens of agents sat in front of their monitors, Agent Hill shouting her instructions as Nick Fury stood at the helm.

"We're at lock, sir."

"Good. Let's vanish." Natasha strode onto the bridge, Steve and Banner trailing behind her, wide-eyed but cautious. Coral couldn't help but notice how a few agents seemed slightly more stressed the moment Banner arrived on the bridge. Part of her understood their fears: Hulk on the Helicarrier and all. But as she looked over the relatively unassuming man, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Fury at least seemed to be behaving, greeting them both with a respectful nod. "Gentlemen."

Captain America took out a 10 and handed it to the Director for some reason, before continuing to look around in awe. Fury wandered over Dr. Banner and extended his hand, which Banner tentatively took.

"Doctor, thank you for coming.

"Thanks for asking nicely. So, uh… how long am I staying?

"Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you're in the clear.

"Where are you with that?" Fury turned to Coulson to explain, while Coral and Natasha embraced quickly, before heading over to the station searching for Clint Barton.

"We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. Cellphones, laptops. If it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us."

"That's still not gonna find them in time," Nat said. As Banner began asking questions, Nat turned to the younger agent. "Kak ty derzhish'sya?"/"How are you holding up?"

"YA ne tot, kotoryy vy dolzhny byt' obespokoyeny"/"I'm not the one you should be worried about." Coral said. Natasha shoved her playfully.

"No ty odin ya mogu bespokoit'sya."/"But you're the one I can be worried about."

Coral smiled and was about to reply when Fury said, "Agent King, would you show Dr. Banner to his laboratory, please." Coral nodded, picked up a tablet a passing agent handed her, and walked off, leading Banner down the hall.

"You're gonna love it, Doc. We got all the toys," she said. She looked back to see Banner looking her over worriedly. She smiled sympathetically before assuring him, "We're not all as young as me; I'm just a special case." He sighed and nodded in relief. Nevertheless, he seemed to take note of how people in the halls tried to act natural but were failing in every way. She glared at them and they seemed to catch themselves. Finally, they made it to the lab, where Coral promptly swiped the data files on the tablet so they covered the screens of the lab. "Here's the intel we've got on the Tesseract so far. Hope it helps." He nodded and Coral moved to leave, before turning around.

"Actually, is it okay if I join you?" Banner straightened up and Coral shuffled her feet sheepishly. "I don't like the bridge so much. See, uh, I've got this little thing about heights and the while the panoramic view is fantastic, it can be… _edge setting_ , to say the least." The Doctor continued to stare. "I promise I won't be a bother! I'm just doing research."

"Sure." She smiled, sat on a counter, and started scrolling. "I just didn't expect it, that's all," he added a moment later and she stopped, looking back up at him.

"You think I'm here to spy on you." Not a question. He looked a bit embarrassed, but didn't deny it. She put her tablet to the side and folded her hands in her lap.

"I'm going to be perfectly honest with you, Doctor Banner: S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't trust people. They don't trust anyone or anything. They have contingency plans to take down every powerful person on the planet, including people who work for them, and are ready to execute them at a moment's notice." He nodded slowly, apparently having expected this. But then she continued.

"But I do." He looked at her. "I do trust people. And you haven't given me any reason not to trust you. I've read your file, you were just doing your job and you've done everything you can to make up for the mistakes you've made. And trust me, if working here has taught me two things, it's that people are infuriating and it takes real skill to not kill everyone who annoys you when working a high stress job every day of your life." He chuckled awkwardly and she smiled, before shrugging.

"Plus I trust you much more than I'd trust Blonsky. And the Council actually wanted _him_ on the Initiative and tried to pin Harlem on you. Thankfully, S.H.I.E.L.D. managed to work around them."

"The Council sounds like a piece of work," he noted. Coral smiled sardonically.

"As a mercenary under S.H.I.E.L.D. contract, I don't think I'm allowed to agree with that… Of course that doesn't mean I don't." He chuckled and she grinned, before they both turned back to their work. They had a world to save.

* * *

Deep in a hidden bunker, Loki's men were hard at work getting the Tesseract portal ready to move out, as well as organizing their assault teams.

"Squad A's goal will be to ensure the propeller remains down," the electric-blue eyed Clint Barton said. "Squad B will retrieve the staff and free Loki, while Squad C covers me. We will rendezvous at the Quinjet the moment our objectives are complete. Anyone who fails gets left behind. Any questions?" Silence. "Good. Get ready to move out." They dispersed, leaving Loki and Clint to converse. However, their mutterings were interrupted by a slow clap. The two looked up to see two teenage girls, a brunette and a ginger, dressed in jumpsuits, leaning against the wet walls of compound.

"Well, isn't this lovely? Don't you think, Sin?" the dark haired girl drawled.

"I really do, Viper," the redhead said. Clint drew his pistol-

"Hold your fire." Clint stopped at the order as Loki stalked over to the girls, towering over them. "How did you find us?"

"Someone put out the word to enemies of S.H.I.E.L.D. We simply answered the call," the brunette said. She folded her arms and looked the God of Mischief in the eye. "We're here because we're the best there is at what we do, Mr. Odinson."

 _ **SLAM!**_

Everyone except the two girls jumped when the former Prince of Asgard punched a hole in the wall of the ancient structure an inch from the young woman's face. The whole room seemed to shake with the force of the impact. "Do not call me that," he hissed. The corner of her mouth twitched upward.

"Apologies, sir. We meant no disrespect." Her tone indicated otherwise; she was testing him, seeing how he'd react. Loki straightened up and glared as he surveyed the new players in his game.

"And who are are you?" The dark haired girl opened her mouth to speak-

"Sinthea Schmidt and Ophelia Sarkissian," Clint Barton cut in. The trio turned to face him. "Agents of an organization known as Chimera."

"Agent Barton! I'm surprised to see you here," the dark haired Ophelia smirked. The expression faded as she looked him over. "But dear me… I suppose his presence here has to do with his eyes, which would be your doing?" she surmised, turning to Loki.

"More clever than you look," he admitted.

"They're also tricky, Sir," Clint cut in again. He lowered his voice, turning so the girls couldn't see what he was saying. "I know these girls and I know you can't trust them."

"True, but that was because you were our enemy at the time. We're _very_ loyal to those we follow," Ophelia assured them. Loki gestured for Barton to step aside, which he did without question, before surveying the two girls again.

"And what exactly is Chimera?" The young operatives shared a secret smile, before turning their gaze back to the god.

"It's gone by many names over the years, but if we could speak in private, perhaps?" They indicated to an unused area off to the side. Loki raised an eyebrow.

"You don't trust my men?"

"Do you?" The two stared each other down, before Loki conceded and followed them away from the ears of others.


	3. Stuttgart

**A/N: As always, please review, follow, favorite, and above all, enjoy!**

Stuttgart

Coral had just finished looking up Loki's family (and was now contemplating using S.H.I.E.L.D.'s memory modifier, like, wow, and she thought her "family" was bad) when Coulson's voice called, "Coral, you're up."

"Got it. Did you ask-"

"Later."

"Yes sir." She jumped down from her perch on the counter of the lab, aiming an apologetic, "Sorry Doc, duty calls!" at Banner before hurrying to her room. She quickly grabbed a moderate amount of guns and knives, exempting her sniper rifle, because if New Mexico had been any indication, these guys were hard to kill, so it was best not to take any chances. Besides, she doubted guns and knives would do much against an Alien, but hey, better safe than sorry, and at the very least, maybe she could give him a haircut.

She boarded a Quinjet for the second time in twenty-four hours (two times too many in such a short amount of time, to her), Captain America looking up and shooting a "You're coming?" her way.

"Don't worry Cap, I'll leave the heavy lifting to you. I'm just the backup." She patted the rifle across her back. Rogers pursed his lips but nodded.

"Alright. But only as a Last Resort."

"Wouldn't have it any other way, sir." They both sat down and strapped themselves in, Coral carefully setting her rifle in a holder. Still, as they took off and were buffered by a sudden gust of wind, Coral couldn't help but clutch the seat harder than necessary, which Nat noticed of course.

"You alright back there?" she asked. Coral nodded and the Cap gave a thumbs up. He then shot a sympathetic smile Coral's way.

"Trust me, these things are a much smoother ride than 40s planes into Warzones. We'll be fine," he said. Coral smiled slightly in response and took a deep breath. It was nice of him to try and reassure her.

Sure enough, it was pretty smooth sailing once they got to altitude, so she started up Franz Schubert's "String Quartet No. 13 in A minor (the Rosamunde Quartet), D. 804, Op. 29" on her iPod before she got out of her seat and started going through the Tai Chi exercises May had taught her. Good for relaxation, stretching, blood-flow, balance, and a whole bunch of other stuff that helped both her pre-battle and in-flight nerves. Of course, the shifting of the aircraft made it a bit nerve wracking, but it was good practice for unusual fighting locations. She managed to get through most of the flight like this, but the God of Mischief seemed determined to disrupt her plans, as a few alarms started to sound.

"Something's happening in Stuttgart," Nat noted. "Emergency lines are blowing up around the location Loki was last spotted, Coral, can you get us some security footage or-"

"Already on it, Nat," she said, back in her seat and fiddling with her tablet. Within seconds, the Quinjet's screens were filled with security footage from the surrounding area. As a crowd ran screaming out of the museum, a tall dark haired swaggered out. Loki. He treaded slowly, gold armor, helmet, and staff materializing as he does. Coral cocks an eyebrow. "He plans to take over our planet in _that_ helmet? That's gotta be hell on his balance, one good hit and I could probably throw him completely off center." A police car speeded into the intersection and with barely a glance, Loki blasted the car, causing it to skid on its nose before toppling over. Coral's eyes widened. Okay then. "We're in Stealth mode right?"

"Yep," Nat said. "He shouldn't see us coming." Coral and Cap nodded and turned back to the screens.

"Kneel before me," Loki said, in English for some reason. The crowd ignored him in favor of fleeing. He surrounded them with projections of some kind, rounding them up like cattle. "I said." The copies ignited their staffs around the crowd. "KNEEL!" Everyone quieted and kneeled. Loki smiled, spreading his arms out as though to behold the sight in its entirety. "Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel." You could practically hear the passengers of the Quinjet rolling their eyes at him.

It seemed they weren't the only ones.

One man approximately Roger's real age rose from his place on the ground. He looked Loki right in the eye and said in German, "Not to men like you."

"There are no men like me," Loki said, again, strangely in English.

"There are always men like you," the man said. Loki smiled.

"That man is going to die," Coral said. If the Captain's posture was any indication, he wasn't going to let that happen. He opened the Quinjet hatch- "Look to your elder, people," leaped from the Quinjet, "Let him be an example." A bolt of blue energy shot from the scepter, the Captain landing just in time to block the blast with his shield, which rebounded and knocked down Loki. Slowly, the Captain stood and advanced on the God, more and more people standing as he went.

"You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing," he said. Loki sneered.

"The soldier. A man out of time."

"I'm not the one who's out of time."

The Quinjet dropped out of Stealth Mode, Nat leveling the machine gun on Loki. "Loki, drop the weapon and stand down."

She barely dodged the blast of blue energy Loki shot at the Quinjet, the quick maneuver sending Coral careering into a wall. Ow. Still, the moment gave Cap the time to throw his shield at Loki. It hit him and rebounded back into Cap's waiting arms, the crowd fleeing as they both began to duke it out.

"Nat, turn the Quinjet around. I can get a clearer shot than you can," Coral said. Nat nodded and turned the Quinjet around so the back faced the battle. Lowering the ramp, Coral strapped herself into a safety harness.

"You brought the steel bullets, right?"

"What do I look like, a Level One agent?"

Nat shrugged and Coral rolled her eyes, kneeling down and taking aim, just as Loki leveled the scepter's end on Cap's helmet, forcing him to stay kneeling where he was.

"Kneel."

 _ **BANG!**_

Loki flinched as a steel bullet grazed his shoulder through his armor. Cap grabbed the end of the spear - "Not today!" - before kicking Loki across the face. He quickly attempted to retreat, but the God grabbed him and threw him across the park, where he hit the brick solidly.

"The guy's all over the place, you're not likely to get a clear shot like this," Nat said.

"Need me to get down there?" Coral shouted over her shoulder, not liking the idea of jumping from the jet but prepared to do so if need be.

Natasha went to answer but was interrupted by, "Agent Romanoff, did you miss me?"

Suddenly, AC/DC's "Shoot to Thrill" began playing over the Quinjet's speakers. Coral could tell it was taking all of Nat's self-control not to roll her eyes in disdain.

"As much as I hate to say it, I don't think it'll be necessary now."

Both Cap and Loki looked up at the sky, just in time to see Ironman fly over and blast Loki right back to the ground. Stark landed in a kneeling position, before standing up and pulling out every piece of weaponry the suit had.

"Make your move, Reindeer Games." Surprising everyone, Loki put up his hands and surrendered, his armor fading away into a more toned down version of his still ridiculous outfit. "Good move."

Everyone seemed to take a deep breath at the same time, Nat landing the Quinjet as Coral held onto the wall. Stark and Rogers led Loki up the ramp, forcing him into a seat and securing him with much more strength than necessary. They then went to stand over by the pilots' seats. Loki looked around the Quinjet curiously, before eying Coral and quirking an eyebrow like, _Are you really it?_ She glared at him.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

The ride back was tense to say the least. Nat and her co-pilot were having trouble navigating an unexpected thunderstorm, Stark and Cap seemed to have gotten off on the wrong foot, and of course, there was the fact that they had a vengeful God aboard their Quinjet.

As it was unwise to do exercise, due to both the increased turbulence and the enemy being eight feet away, Coral was reduced to looking around the Quinjet in order to distract herself. Stark and Cap were arguing over something, Natasha was talking to Fury, her co-pilot was gripping the steering wheel much harder than necessary, the storm clouds and thunder seemed like they were coming out of nowhere, she wondered how much lightning would have to hit the Quinjet to fry everyone inside and, gah! No! This wasn't working. She groaned and leaned back in her seat, massaging her temples, only to suddenly get the feeling she was being watched. She opened her eyes slightly to see the man himself staring at her, apparently sizing her up. She straightened up and cocked an eyebrow at him. He smirked. She glared. Blue eyes met brown and neither one was going to back down. Seconds passed and turned into minutes. Suddenly, a bolt of thunder and lightning nearly hit the jet, making it shake violently, causing Loki's gaze to snap toward the windshield. Coral smirked triumphantly. _Never get into a staring contest with a snake, dumbass._

"What's the matter? Scared of a little lightning?" Cap asked.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows."

Coral frowned. Strange thunder appearing as they were transporting a Norse God. It couldn't be… could it?

 _ **THUNK!**_

Something hit the jet. No, _landed_ on it. Stark put his helmet on and opened the ramp, Cap getting up to join him. Sure enough, a blonde armored man with biceps as big as the Alps jumped down, knocked Ironman back into Captain America, and grabbed Loki by the throat, flying out again barely before Coral has the time to call out, "Thor?"

"And then there's that guy," Stark grumbled, getting up.

"Another Asgardian?" Nat asked.

"I think that was Thor," Coral confirmed.

"Is he a friendly?" Cap asked. Coral shrugged.

"He should be-"

"Doesn't matter," Stark said. "If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract's lost." Stark turned and headed for the ramp.

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!"

"I have a plan. Attack."

He jumped out of the jet after Thor. Cap grabbed a parachute to follow.

"I'd sit this one out, Cap," Nat said.

"I don't see how I can."

"These guys come from legends, they're basically gods."

"There's only one God, ma'am. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that." Cap jumped from the jet. Natasha looked back at Coral, to find her eyes shifting between the still open ramp and one of the remaining chutes. _Should I_ -

"Don't you dare-"

"Too late!" Coral cried, bolting from her seat, grabbing a chute, and racing for the closing ramp door. She put it on and rolled out of the closing doors just in time, promptly hurtling toward the Earth, stoic in exterior though her inner monologue was more along the lines of: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

That didn't stop her from catching up to and even passing Cap, only pulling her chute at the last moment. She headed toward the Earth at a speed that probably would've cost her her contract if a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent had seen it. Still coming in too hot, she unlatched herself and rolled to the ground, allowing her to catch herself. She then hurried up the cliff, searching for the wayward demigods. Then came the explosions and clangs of metal over the ridge. She narrowed her eyes; they _wouldn't_. She looked over into the valley below and groaned; apparently they _would_. Stark and Thor were wrestling like lions, Loki nowhere in sight. She rolled her eyes, took out her binoculars, and started scanning for signs of where the God of Mischief had wandered off to. And yet, she found him in an instant, not even trying to escape. If anything, he seemed to be _enjoying_ himself. She moved to secure the self-proclaimed God of Mischief and Chaos, but was stopped by a sudden hand on her shoulder. She turned and found herself face to face with a disapproving Captain America. Oops.

"What are you doing?"

"My job. Stark and Thor apparently left the prisoner alone. You handle them while I watch him." He moved to protest, most likely due to her age, but then Stark tackled Thor through some trees, flattening a good portion of a likely centuries old forest. So the Captain just sighed and nodded.

"Don't get too close, we don't know what he's capable of."

"You got it, Cap!" she lied cheerfully. Like Hell she was going to give him the chance to escape.

* * *

Loki didn't even flinch when she flicked the safety off of her sniper rifle and pressed it to the back of his skull.

"Having fun?" she asked.

"Very much, thank you." He glanced at her over his shoulder. "You must be the Viper. Barton's told me much."

"Then you know that I _will_ use this on you."

"I also know you're smart enough to know that you will die if you try. And besides, S.H.I.E.L.D. needs me to find the Tesseract and you may be their pet, but I doubt even you could get away with not following direct orders." Coral bristled internally, but smirked externally.

"Better a pet than a prisoner and don't think that you're so important that S.H.I.E.L.D. can't kill you. There are very few people we don't have the jurisdiction to issue out capital punishment to."

"I doubt the Allfather would agree."

"We don't recognize his authority here on Earth."

"Then we are of similar mind."

She opened her mouth to tell him where exactly he could stick the rest of his "Not So Different" Villain Speech when-

 _ **CRASH!**_

 _ **"** **YOU WANT ME TO PUT THE HAMMER DOWN!"**_

"Oh dear," Loki said noncommittally a second before a massive shockwave of light and energy leveled everything within a kilometer of the impact. Coral dug her heels into the ground as the wave passed over their part of the mountain, shielding herself while keeping an eye on the God. She slid back a few inches but stayed upright, which was more than she could say for most of the forest. _Well, that's gotta be good for global warming._ The three superheroes got up and simply stood there for a moment, before making their way up the mountain, where they found Coral holding a gun on the God they should've been guarding.

"Are you boys quite done? Or do you need to go a few more rounds?" she quipped.

Cap looked just as annoyed as she felt, while Thor and Ironman looked confused as to why a human as small as herself was holding a gun to the God of Mischief's head. She nodded toward said God and Thor quickly restrained him, allowing her to step aside and activate her com. "Nat, where are you?"

"On my way to kill you, that's where." Sure enough, she was circling back around, looking for a place to land or at least hover low enough for them to get on.

"I don't think I really deserve that. I'm not the one that left the psychotic prisoner alone."

"They did WHAT?"

"Ow, Nat, earpiece, remember? Inside voice."

"Shut up. Are they ready for pick-up?"

"Well half of them can fly so…"

"Shut. Up." Coral chuckled, but her humor faded as she saw the men continuing to argue as Loki looked on, bemused.

Yep. This was gonna be a long night.


	4. Helicarrier Hell

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this out, but this the longest chapter yet, so hope this makes up for it! Welcome to those who are new readers and thank you so much to my fabulous BETA reader Jaguarspot.  
**

 **A few notes: in this chapter, Coral refers to herself as being "Enhanced." This is the pre-Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 definition, referring not solely to the** ** ** _Gifted_ ("Those who naturally possess abilities." Ex: All Inhumans and Thor), but also to the ************_Enhanced (_ "Those who have man-made abilities due to science or experimentation." Ex: Ironman, Captain America, The Hulk). I am unsure whether MCU Natasha Romanoff (who in the comics also had Supersoldier augmented strength and speed) and Clint Barton (who has no augmentations in either comics or movies as far as I'm aware), but for the sake of simplicity, I will categorize them as Enhanced. Plus, "The Index" where the Enhanced and Gifted were categorized was a watch-list highly dangerous individuals, and I highly doubt S.H.I.E.L.D. would make a watch-list without including world class spies and assassins on it.  
********

 ** ** ** **P.S. *Spoilers for the newest Captain America comics******* Cap being Hydra is bullshit. That is all.  
**

Helicarrier Hell

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Banner joked, hoping to cut the tension. The entire Helicarrier had just finished listening to Loki's twentieth evil speech and Fury's unamused refutes. He and Thor stood off to the side thinking, as Coral sat between Nat and Cap, waiting for the meeting to begin.

"Like a cancer," she agreed. Needless to say, their efforts didn't pay off.

"Loki's gonna drag this out," Cap noted. "So, Thor, what's his play?"

"He has an army called the Chitauri-"

"Chitauri?" Coral asked. Everyone looked at her. "They're from Zulu mythology. Essentially known as 'the serpent people from the sky,' I think. Is there any chance they've been to Earth, er, Midgard before?" Thor's frown deepened.

"Not that I am aware of, but the description fits. They're not of Asgard or any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract." Coral looked to Maria, who nodded. She then brought out her tablet to begin working again; no rest for the weary, and she could listen well enough with one ear. They were mostly restating things she knew.

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you could smell crazy on him," Banner warned and Coral chuckled in agreement, scrolling through sources on her tablet.

"Yeah, he's got King Lear's Edmund's familial grudge, Macbeth's ambition, and Iago's trickery and manipulation. Makes for one crazy combo." Silence. She looked up from her work to find everyone staring at her again, like she was the crazy one. "Seriously? Am I the only one who reads the classics anymore?"

"Yes," Nat and Maria said. She rolled her eyes.

"Whatever you said, have care how you speak," warned Thor. "Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he's my brother."

"He killed eighty people in two days.

"… He's adopted?" Coral scoffed.

"Like that should matter."

"Iridium," Banner interrupted, likely hoping to prevent Thor from rising at her remark. "What do they need the Iridium for?"

"It's a stabilizing agent," Stark called as he walked into the room with Coulson, who he turned to quickly - "Pick a weekend, I'll fly you there. Keep the love alive," - before shifting his attention back to the assembled individuals. "Means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at S.H.I.E.L.D. No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing." He patted Thor's arm as he passed. "Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Loki wants. Uh, raise the mid-mast, ship the top sails." The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents paused from their work to stare at the billionaire, now standing at the Helm. "That man is playing 'Galaga!' Thought we wouldn't notice. But we did." Stark frowned, covering his eye, looking at the control panels. "How does Fury do this?"

"He turns," Hill answered tersely.

"Well, that sounds exhausting. The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source. A high energy density, something to kick start the cube," Stark said, fiddling with Fury's monitors a bit before returning to the team.

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Hill asked.

"Last night." He looked at the others for support, but found none. "The packet? Selvig's notes? The Extraction Theory papers? Am I the only one who did the reading?!"

"Oh, I read it, I just didn't understand any of it," Coral said.

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Cap continued.

"He's got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier," Banner said.

"Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect," Stark said.

"Well, if he could do that he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet.

"Finally, someone who speaks English!"

"Is that what just happened?" Cap asked sardonically.

Coral patted Cap's shoulder sympathetically as Stark shook Banner's hand and greeted him. "Don't feel bad, Cap. I speak like seven languages and I _still_ didn't understand any of that."

She looked up in time to hear Stark say to Banner, "I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

"Thanks," Banner said, looking down. Coral glared at Stark, but he seemed not to notice or care.

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him," Fury said as he entered, likely hoping to discourage the disaster that would be an Ironman and Hulk team-up.

"Let's start with that stick of his," Cap said. "It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon." Coral opened her mouth to say it wasn't magical, just advanced science, but Fury beat her to the punch.

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

"Monkeys?" asked Thor. "I do not understand-"

"I do!" Cap cried. Everyone looked at him as he smiled proudly. "I understood that reference."

Coral grinned, and Stark rolled his eyes, but chose not to comment in favor of joining Doctor Banner. "Shall we play, doctor?"

"Let's play some." Coral waved at Banner as he passed and he smiled and waved a bit as he passed. She patted Natasha's shoulder before standing and hurrying over to Thor.

"Nice to meet you properly, Thor." She extended her hand. "Agent Coral King." He seemed to get that it was a gesture of greeting from watching Stark and Banner, so he took it and gave it a hearty shake. Coral managed not to wince and tried to subtly stretch her arm as she spoke. "I saw you during your time in New Mexico. I'll admit, I'm a bit jealous. That metal man took out a ton of our agents in the same amount of time it took you to destroy it."

"Glad to be of service. So, your father is a King?" he asked, curiously.

"NO! Oh gods no. King's just the name I chose for myself. I'm not actually royalty. I don't even know who my parents are," she admitted.

"My apologies. This world is still strange to me." He looked around, obviously intrigued by his surroundings. "Speaking of which, what are these flying monkeys that were mentioned?"

"Oh, they're just from an old Midgardian tale, they aren't actually real." Coral's brow furrowed when she thought about who she was talking to. "That we know of, at least. Heck, we didn't think you and the rest of Norse mythology were real until last year." Thor nodded.

"Asgardians are meant to keep peace between the Realms. Apart from that, we mostly do not interfere."

"That's good, I guess. Humans have a nasty habit of interfering and making everything worse, as evidenced by our work with the Tesseract."

"How _did_ Selvig come to be ensnared in all this?" Coral shrugged.

"We asked nicely, he was interested. We were hoping to use the Tesseract for renewable energy. The power in that one Cube could save the whole world."

"Or destroy it." She shrugged again; best not to tell him about the amount of nuclear warheads on the planet then.

"Price of Power, I suppose." Thor nodded in a conceding manner, before fidgeting in a nervous manner.

"And uh… what of Jane Foster?"

"I can answer that," Coulson interjected, walking up to them. The trio moved to the monitors where Coulson brought up Jane Foster's file. "As soon as Loki took the doctor we moved Jane Foster. We've got an excellent observatory in Tromsø. She was asked to consult there very suddenly yesterday. Handsome fee, private plane, very remote. She'll be safe."

"Thank you," he said, drinking up the Astrophysicist's face like a man dying of thirst. But behind his eyes, there was sadness and worry. "It's no accident Loki taking Erik Selvig. I dread what he plans for him once he's done. Erik is a good man."

"He talks about you a lot," Coulson said. Understatement of the Century. Coral was 99% positive the only thing stopping Selvig from asking Thor out was the fact that his daughter figure had the hots for him. "You changed his life. You changed everything around here."

"They were better as they were. We pretend on Asgard that we're more advanced, but we… we come here battling like Bilgesnipe."

"Like what?" Phil asked for him and Coral.

"Bilgesnipe? You know: huge, scaly, big antlers," Thor said, holding his hands to his head to demonstrate. "You don't have those?"

"Don't think so."

"Let's hope not," Coral said.

"Huh. Well, they are repulsive, and they trample everything in their path." Thor walked over to the side of the ship and gazed out of the window as the two agents shared a look. He certainly seemed calmer and more mature than the brute who had stormed their New Mexico compound last year. "When I first came to earth, Loki's rage followed me here and your people paid the price. And now again. In my youth, I courted war."

"War hasn't started yet," came the voice of Nick Fury. The trio turned to him. "You think you can make Loki tell us where the Tesseract is?"

"I do not know. Loki's mind is far afield, it's not just power he craves, it's vengeance upon me."

"I doubt that that's his only motive; his type, they lash out at anyone and everyone when they don't get their way," Coral assured the God of Thunder. But still, he shook his head.

"Still, there's no pain that would prize his need from him."

"A lot of guys think that, until the pain starts," Fury warned him.

"What are you asking me to do?"

"I'm asking: What are you prepared to do?" Coral looked down at that; Coulson noticed and patted her shoulder to make sure she was okay. She nodded.

"Loki is a prisoner," Thor said.

"Then why do I feel like he's the only person on this boat that wants to be here?"

Thor didn't answer.

"It's obvious isn't it?" Again, everyone looks at Coral. "It's the Trojan horse; he needs or wants something inside the Helicarrier so he 'surrendered' and got the fast pass inside."

"And you're just telling us this _now_?" Fury raged. Coral blinked and furrowed her brow at the reaction.

"I thought you _knew_. I could see it coming a mile away, why else would he stay while He-Man and Tin-man were having their little cock fight?" Thor looked confused, Coulson amused, and Fury stern as usual.

"Any ideas as to the why?" Fury asked tersely.

"Well, it's more a matter of what he wants and how he's gonna get it. Stark said that the rest of the raw materials for the portal are easily found, meaning that it's probably more about taking out any and all potential threats to his invasion, ergo-"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers."

"Who have actually done a decent job tearing themselves and each other apart." Cue another one-eyed glare.

"What about the Chitauri?" Coral brought up her research on one of the larger screens.

"The name means 'the dictators' and 'the ones who tell us the law.' They were essentially Godly overseers, using humans as slave labor for mining gold and they're fed by Dark Power that comes from Humans destroying the Earth. That's why a lot of bloodthirsty leaders are said to be descendants and creations of the Chitauri. But some of the intel is contradictory. Most sources describe them as being lizard-like, very tall, with a long tail, and with yellow eyes, sometimes with a third red one in their foreheads. There are few old statues of lizard people that support the description. Another source, and I am not joking here, says they look like Darth Maul from Star Wars, as in, humanoids with horns." Coral heard Coulson snort behind her and she mostly succeeded in not joining him. "I've also been looking up S.H.I.E.L.D. reactors to see if there are any near populated areas; Loki's the God of Chaos so, I'm going to assume he wants maximum casualties when he has his 'Grand Opening Debut,' to the human race. Plus, if Selvig is any indication, he likes making things personal, playing around with people's emotions."

"So have you found anything on those?" Fury inquired. Coral shook her head.

"Nothing on them either. None of them are near heavily populated areas, which is a good thing when you think about it, but nevertheless, it puts us back at square one when it comes to locating the Tesseract."

"Unfortunately, I think Banner and Stark are our best bet at this point. But keep looking for stuff on the Chitauri; if the shit hits the fan, I want to be prepared."

"You got it boss," she saluted, as he went back to the helm and Thor wandered off. She moved to get back to work when Coulson blocked her way.

"When's the last time you slept?"

"On the plane here." He stared her down, and she caved. "Mostly… I had to write the report and get briefed on the mission." He took the tablet from her.

"Two hour power nap. Now." She opened her mouth to argue- "Fury may be the Director, but I'm your S.O., young lady. Please respect that." She closed her mouth and sighed before nodding. Coulson smiled and kissed her forehead, before sending her on her way, giving Fury a stare to counter his glare. The Director conceded and went back to the monitors.

* * *

True to his word, Coulson woke Coral up two hours later, providing her with both a cappuccino and a cloth to wipe her face with, which she gratefully accepted.

"So… are you gonna take Stark's offer?" she yawned, wiping the last vestiges of sleep from her eyes. "See Audrey? She's got a performance next weekend. You could surprise her."

"You're more hung up on her than I am."

"Just want to see you happy, Phil," she smiled, getting up and stretching. "Seriously though. Will you?" Coulson shrugged.

"I don't know. This life isn't usually conducive to family life."

"I'm not saying you should elope together-" _Yet_. "-I'm just saying that I think Fury and Maria are the only people who put in more hours than you and unless you change that, you're gonna get old, boring, and perpetually angry like they did. And I'll have no one to play with."

"Alright, alright. I'll call Audrey and consider Stark's offer."

"That's all I ask, Phil," she grinned. She checked her tablet to see if the other agents had made any developments, when she realized the date. "Hey look! It's May 4th. May the Fourth be with you, Phil!"

"May the Fourth be with you too, Coral," Coulson chuckled, flashing her a 'Live Long and Prosper' sign. She shoved him playfully as he continued to laugh, before the two exited her room to begin the trek back to the Bridge.

"We should do a Star Wars marathon after this. I haven't seen either of the animated series yet. And then we could finally get to Buffy Season 6. You think Fury would mind giving us a week or two off after this?"

"If anything, I think he'd make us." She smiled and they walked in comfortable silence for a moment, nodding and greeting other agents as they passed. "Maybe we should could go to New York. I know you've been bugging Fury for an assignment there. And assuming it's still standing when this is over, I'd be happy to show you around."

Coral considered it for a moment. "Yeah, but I also think if we go somewhere, it should be someplace you haven't been before. Like someplace tropical, preferably with a fruity umbrella drink… and the Cellist."

"You're gonna keep bugging me until I call her, aren't you."

"Just reminding you, Phil."

They walked onto the Bridge to find everyone scrambling. The screens on the bridge had started to blink with a warning: SECURITY BREACH. The duo glanced to each other. Not good. Coral went to ask a frowning Nick Fury, "Do you need us to find-"

"I already know who did this," he growled and stalked off. Coral straightened up and glanced at Phil, who nodded. She then went after the Director.

"Is there something you're not telling us, Director?" she asked him as she trailed behind.

"You may have been right about the Avengers tearing themselves apart," he admitted. She raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" He went to answer, but was cut off by Nat.

"Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab, I'm on my way. Send Thor as well," her voice came in on the coms. Fury and Coral looked at each other. Things just got a lot worse.

"Well I guess that's how Loki plans to tear us apart," she commented, but Fury just exhaled angrily and picked up his pace. "Banner's not going to hurt anyone unless we push him, Fury." He wasn't listening. "Fury!" Coral rolled her eyes and went after him.

Fury strode in to see Tony and Banner were no longer working on the scepter, Coral coming in right behind him.

"What are you doing, Mr. Stark?" Fury asked.

"Uh… kind of been wondering the same thing about you," Stark said.

"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract."

"We are. The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile," Banner said.

"And you'll get your cube back, no muss, no fuss." Stark went back to the monitors, displaying something that was definitely not related to finding the Tesseract. "What is PHASE 2?"

Suddenly, Rogers strode in and dropped a HYDRA assault rifle on the table, causing Fury, Banner and Stark to turn around. Cap looked pissed.

"PHASE 2 is S.H.I.E.L.D. using the cube to make weapons. Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow." Coral turned to Fury.

"Nick, what-"

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract," Fury said. "This does not mean that we're…"

"I'm sorry, Nick," Stark interrupted, moving the suspended screen towards Fury to display plans for Tesseract powered weapons. "What were you lying?"

"I was wrong, director. The world hasn't changed a bit," Cap noted. At that moment, Thor and Natasha walked into the lab. As Banner rounded on Romanoff, Coral turned to Fury.

"Nick, what is going on?"

"Coral, these are things above your paygrade-"

"I understand that, _Director_ , but you being open about this could've helped us put together the puzzle a bit faster," she grit out, straightening up. "And I'm not one of your agents, sir; the only reason I'm here is to stop Chimera, and I've humored you by going on unrelated assignments, but you pulling this shit makes me feel like I'm right back with them."

Fury may have answered but the attention was turned back to him when Banner said, "I'd like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction." Coral turned on Nick as well, cocking an eyebrow, the way she always did when she wasn't moving.

"Because of him." Fury pointed at Thor.

"Me?"

"Great, we're literally resorting to pointing fingers," Coral scoffed. Fury ignored her.

"Last year earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly – _hilariously_ – outgunned."

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet-"

"But you're not the only people out there, are you? And, you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled." Coral rounded on him, fire in her eyes.

"Controlled? Who says we need to be _controlled_?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it," he said.

"Oh, I know what you mean. You just don't want to admit it. You want to control the Enhanced just like Chimera controlled me and my sisters!"

"Like you controlled the cube," Rogers agreed, folding his arms.

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies," Thor said. "It is the signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war."

"A higher form?" Cap repeated.

"You forced our hand," Fury maintained. "We had to come up with something-"

"Nuclear deterrent," Stark said. "'Cause that always calms everything right down."

"Didn't you once call yourself just that during the Senate Hearing last year?" Coral noted as Fury said, "Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?"

Suddenly, everyone was talking over each other, placing and deflecting blame like politicians.

"I thought humans were more evolved than this," Thor said.

"Excuse me, did _we_ come to your planet and blow stuff up?" Fury remarked.

"And isn't the Tesseract of Asgardian origin? 'Jewel of Odin's treasure room' and all?" Coral pointed out; she was mad at Fury but had to stick with humans as an unspoken rule.

"Did you always give your champions such mistrust?" Thor huffed.

"Are you all really that naive? S.H.I.E.L.D monitors potential threats," Nat said.

"Potential threats? Captain America is on that watch list?" Banner scoffed.

"We all are. Even S.H.I.E.L.D. agents."

"You and the kid on that list?" Stark asked Cap. "Are you two above or below angry bees?"

Coral bristled as Cap snapped, "I swear to God, Stark, one more wisecrack."

"Threatening! I feel threatened!"

"You should," Coral warned him. "I've killed people Stark, not just built or sold weapons that did it for me, but with my own two hands; you wanna guess what I can do to you with what I've got on me right now?"

"I'm starting to see why Fury keeps you on a leash," Stark said. Coral went to punch him but was stopped by Fury grabbing her arm and growling, "Cool it, King."

She shoved him off. "You don't control me."

"You speak of control, yet you court chaos," Thor said. Coral blinked. _Chaos…_

"It's his M.O., isn't it?" Banner said, also appearing to catch on. He grabbed the table behind him, where Loki's scepter laid. "I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, no. We're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're… we're a time-bomb."

"You need to step away," Fury cautioned.

"Maybe you should take your own advice, Fury," Coral shot back, Stark adding, "Yeah, why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?"

"Coral-" Nat tried to cut in as Cap raged at Stark, but Coral brushed her off.

"Don't, Nat. The last time S.H.I.E.L.D. lied to me like this, two of my sisters fell back into Chimera's grasp and I'll probably never get them back again because of it."

"They were trying to protect you-"

"They were trying to _control_ me," Coral seethed. "That's all anyone's ever done! I thought you were different. That you cared about me as a person, not just as a weapon. My mistake." Nat and Fury went silent as Stark and Cap's pissing contest reached a climax.

Thor laughed at all of them. "You people are so petty… and tiny."

"Like you're so much better," Coral scoffed. "Size isn't everything, and even if it was, your so-called brother invaded a planet because of a childish sense of entitlement."

"You're one to talk of childish," Thor said and Coral turned to him, as nose to nose as she could be with a guy who was almost a foot taller than her.

"I'm not the one who left the prisoner alone!"

"But what have you done to help?" Stark asked. "You're just another of Fury's toy soldiers. Hell, you're not even that, you're his research department. This is supposed to be a team of 'the most remarkable and able people in the world.' Why are you even here?" Coral scowled at Stark, but couldn't help but wonder that herself.

"Yeah, this is a team…" Banner said sarcastically. Fury frowned at him.

"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his…" Coral moved to block Nat, but Banner didn't need help this time.

"Where? You rented my room."

"The cell was just in case…"

"In case you needed to kill me, but you can't! I know! I tried!" Silence. "I got low. I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out!" At that, everyone turned a little green. "So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good, until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk!" Banner rounded on Natasha, who looked more nervous than Coral had ever seen her. "You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?" Banner gritted out.

Both Nat and and Fury moved their hands over their guns, moving straps and flicking the safeties off, as everyone tensed.

"Doctor Banner," Coral treaded carefully, looking him in the eye. "Are you aware you're holding the scepter?"

If his confused expression indicated anything, he wasn't.

The computer beeped. They all turned to it. The Tesseract-

"Got it."

Everyone snapped back to work. Fury moved toward the computer, but Coral blocked him. "Once we get Barton and the Tesseract back, we're going to have a very long talk about this."

"I don't need to justify my actions to you, King."

"Maybe not. But you may need to justify them to the Public." He opened his mouth, probably to ask if that was a threat, when she continued, "Fury, if this got out, what do you think would happen? If these weapons got into the wrong hands?"  
"That's why they're in ours!"

"But they might not always be. And your justification of these is exactly the kind of reasoning that makes me afraid of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick." Fury crossed his arms and stared her down like she was the enemy again.

"Ever think you might be in the wrong business, King." She stared him right in the eye.

"Every day of my life, sir." They both continued their staring contest, neither one backing down.

"… Well, then maybe-"

 _ **BOOM!**_

The room exploded and everyone was thrown everywhere. Coral hit the ground hard, but managed not to hit her head. Her ears rang as Stark and Cap ran from the room and Fury started shouting commands. She froze when she realized what this meant. "Loki." She took off, down the hall and through the Helicarrier. Few know exactly where to hit a Helicarrier to force it down and one of them was under the control of the God currently in their custody.

"Coulson! King! Initiate official lockdown in the detention section, then get to the armory! Move out!"

"Already on my way there," Coral muttered, under her breath so none of them would hear, running through the halls, jumping off the walls over and around the agents and obstacles in her way, occasionally stopping to help a wounded agent. "Coulson, you go on ahead. Bring me an extra gun or something, I just want to get to the Cage fast."

"Coral, you're not supposed-"

"Just do it!" she shouted, turning her com's volume down before taking off.

She had a job to do.

* * *

Barton and Loki's men rappelled down into a maintenance corridor, quickly followed by the two teenage Chimera agents.

"Get that engine down! Detention! Get him through the dark! Come with me," Barton ordered, dividing the men's duties before stalking off. Sinthea and Ophelia glanced at each other, before rolling their eyes.

"Get the Scepter. I'll get him out. Join us when you're done." Ophelia instructed.

"Got it," Sinthea said, before they parted ways.

They had a job to do.

* * *

Coral slid to another stop. Another dead end due to debris. She huffed. This trip was taking her _way_ too long. She opened the door to the Shuttle levels, hoping to find yet another detour, only to hear an inhuman roar echo from the area; something monstrous, massive. Incredible. _Oh boy_. She closed the door. Never mind. She'd find another way.

She spun around, making more twists and turns as she attempted to get to the Detention Level. She went around a bend, to find some men in SWAT grade S.H.I.E.L.D. gear heading her way. She opened her mouth to direct them to the Hulk (she liked Banner, but the Hulk was a danger to everyone on the Helicarrier), when they raised their guns. _Awww, hell_. She threw herself back around the corner as the men opened fire. Great. Just what they needed. She took a smoke pellet from her belt and threw it down, clouding the intruders' vision. By the time they got up to the halls she had been in, they couldn't see a thing. That made it easy for her to drop down from the ceiling, landing on a guy and knocking him out. She then wound her unlooped orange ribbon belt around the next guy's gun, directed it to shoot another guy, before punching him in his relatively unexposed throat and kicking him back into the wall.

"We got a perimeter breach! Hostiles are in S.H.I.E.L.D. gear. Hold on to every junction." Sitwell's voice announced. Coral rolled her eyes.

 _No shit, Sherlock_.

She looked around, finally recognizing where she was. Within a few turns, she was there. Unfortunately, so were the bad guys. She hid behind another corner as they entered the Cage, locking the door behind them.

 _This just keeps getting better and better_ , Coral groaned internally; she could unlock the door, but it would take time and there would be those men and a God waiting for her on the other side by the time she did it. She looked down and smiled. Perfect. As quickly and quietly as she could, she removed the vent cover on an air duct and slid inside. She got into position behind the vent opening next to the Cage control panel.

"Room's secure, sir," one of Loki's men said.

"I can see that. Now hurry up, I have a Realm to take over." The moment a man was near the vent, Coral burst out, throwing the thug onto his back and punching him across the face, before throwing an electrical disk at the second one. He gurgled and fell, unconscious, as she stood and re-activated her com.

"I got hostiles in the detention level. I'm holding them back for now, but should I drop the cage? Repeat: do I drop the-" Someone hit her around the head. Coral stumbled to the ground, communicator falling to the floor where it was crushed by a boot. Coral looked up into the face of the person the boot belonged to. "Figures you'd choose now to make your entrance."

"What can I say? I have great timing," Ophelia Sarkissian smirked at her 'sister.'

"That's one way of putting it." Ophelia attempted to slam her boot into Coral's face, but the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent rolled out of the way and flipped back to her feet. They traded blows, but were very evenly matched, able to predict where the other would strike exactly before they did. But while they were near equally matched in training, strength, and speed, Coral could take more punishment, so when she finally landed a blow across Ophelia's face, the Chimera agent went down hard. Coral then used the opportunity to pull out her pistol. But when she leveled it on Ophelia, all she could see in those green eyes was the little girl she used to steal food with, who would stitch her up after a particularly bad whipping from Mother Night. Coral gripped her gun tighter. _It's for the World. Loki will destroy everything if you don't do this._

But that hesitation was all Ophelia needed to kick the gun from her former sister's grasp, sending it over the rails and down into the depths of the cage's release system, and knock the other girl off her feet. She then grabbed Coral by the hair and turned her around, getting her arms under Coral's armpits and around the back of her neck so that they both faced the door, where Sinthea had appeared… with the scepter. "Now!" Sinthea lunged with the scepter, whether to turn her or stab her, Coral did not know, but she wasn't about to wait and find out. She flipped over Ophelia and out of the hold, putting the dark haired Chimera operative in the path of the scepter. The pale girl screamed and toppled over, barely missing being possessed or killed. She glared up at her sister from the ground. "WATCH IT!"

"Maybe you should hold her still!" Sinthea shouted. She looked up just in time to see Coral leap over Ophelia and send her flying down the metal steps she had just walked up.

"Odin's Beard, there's one of her and two of you. What am I paying you for?" Loki groaned.

"You _aren't_ ," Ophelia hissed.

Suddenly, the Helicarrier began to tilt and fall, causing the three girls to stumble and slide, grabbing railings to maintain their balance. In spite of the fact that they were fighting, the three girls looked at each other a bit nervously, reminding Coral of all those times in "The Viper's Nest" and how they could get that all back if they weren't so crazy.

"They won't actually let it drop while we're still here, will they?" Ophelia inquired, whether to Coral, Sinthea, Loki, or herself, no one was certain.

"That's why Barton's on his way: to do the job you two apparently _can't_ ," Loki said, somehow seemingly unaffected by the shifting center of gravity. Coral stiffened. She needed to end this fight and fast. She couldn't take Ophelia, Sinthea, and Barton at once, especially if they managed to get Loki out.

So once she knocked the scepter from Sinthea's grasp, she unwrapped her orange ribbon belt from her waist and in a combination of dodges and looping moves, maneuvered her sisters' blows to hit each other and their limbs to get tangled in the streamer. They toppled over, restrained and off balance. Coral picked up the scepter. "Like I'm gonna let you get your hands on…"

The stone glowed and suddenly Coral saw flashes across her mind. Visions of-

The light fading from Svetlana's green eyes

Ophelia's glare as she was led away by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents

A Chimera agent collapsing from her bullet

Ophelia and Sinthea beating her down at the Asylum

The Avengers fighting as the world exploded around them

"WOAH!" she shouted, dropping it like a hot pan. She fell against the wall, chest heaving as she caught her breath, and stared at the scepter like a serpent about to strike. It didn't do anything, gave no indication that it had done anything at all. She straightened up. "That was… intense."

"It has that effect on people," chimed a voice behind her and Coral turned just in time for Loki to clamp a hand around her throat. She grasped his hand trying to loosen his grip, but it was as strong and unmoving as a mountain of Vibranium. "Never send a _child_ to do a God's job," the God sneered.

"We got you out. I don't see what the issue is," Ophelia shot back, helping Sin to her feet.

"The issue is that I need the best."

"We _are_ the best," Sinthea said.

"Then this planet really is doomed."

Coral used his distraction to slide a weighted baton from her sleeve into her hand and ram it into the most sensitive spot on male Humans, hoping that it applied to male Asgardians/Jotuns too. Judging by the gasp she got from Loki, it was. She got him across the face with the same weight, before grabbing his hair and ramming him face-first into the wall, before taking her strongest pair of power dampening cuffs from her belt. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Your Highness, but your reign is over."

A cord wrapped around Coral's neck, completely cutting off her air supply. She attempted to turn around and hit Sinthea, knock herself free, but the redhead had wrapped the rope in a loop shape, not a U, making it much harder to move in and escape from. Coral gaged as Sinthea tightened the noose, smirking all the while. She and Ophelia quickly restrained their former sister, making sure she had enough air to keep conscious (barely), but be unable to do anything. Ophelia then offered a hand to the God, who shrugged her off and stood quickly, dusting himself off. The trio heard the sound of someone very large running through the halls and Loki quickly put a projection into the cage. He opened the Cage door as Thor raced into the detention section.

"NO!" The Asgardian prince charged at the projection, only to go right through it, the cell door sealing behind him behind as he fell. Loki raised an eyebrow at his brother incredulously.

"Are you ever _not_ going to fall for that?" Thor quickly realized he was not the only one in trouble, gaze shifting to Coral, still gasping for breath.

"Leave her out of this, Loki, she's an innocent child." Loki smirked and stroked the Coral's face, just to get on his brother's nerves, almost getting his fingers bitten off in the process.

"She's a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and certainly had no trouble attacking or insulting me. What kind of King would I be if I let an attack like that slide?"

Thor slammed Mjölnir onto the glass cell. But the glass only cracked, though the impact shook the ship and the cage shifted, the holds readying to release at the next blow if need be. Even Loki seemed surprised by the turn of events, though his shock quickly turned to smugness.

"The humans think us immortal. Should we test that?" he said, moving toward the control panel.

Suddenly, one of Loki's men who had just awoken was knocked down. Everyone turned to see Agent Phillip Coulson standing there, holding a PHASE 2 weapon prototype.

"Move away, please."

Loki moved away from the switch, eying the weapon cautiously. Coulson glanced at Ophelia and Sinthea as well, who loosened the noose a bit, glancing at the weapon in apprehension, allowing Coral to get her breath back.

"You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent The Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does." He armed it. "Do you wanna find out?"

 _ **SCHINK!**_

Coulson cried out as the scepter was run through his chest, Loki standing behind him. Coral inhaled sharply, her eyes widening. _No_.

"NO!" Thor yelled, but all Coral could focus on was Phil. He was looking at her. Blood was blooming from his lips. And he was in pain. So much pain. Loki dropped against the wall, where he slumped down, breathing fast. She couldn't breathe, but this time, it wasn't because of the rope around her neck. He was still looking at her. She heard the hatch open up and the cage be released in the echoes of her mind, but couldn't process it correctly, because Phil was lying there, bleeding out and no one else seemed to realize that. But he stared at her, right in the eyes, and she could tell he's so sorry. So very sorry.

He turned his gaze upward and says, "You're gonna lose."

"Am I?" Loki's voice asked, but all Coral could focus on was the blood that was spreading, staining his shirt.

"It's in your nature."

"Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky… where is my disadvantage?" Coulson glanced at Coral before turning his attention up again.

"You lack conviction."

"I don't think I-"

 _ **BOOM!**_

Loki was blown straight through the wall behind him as Coulson triggered the weapon. Everyone stood there in shock.

"So that's what it does."

That snapped her back. Slipping out the the restraints like a snake, Coral threw her head back, hitting Sinthea right in the nose, before elbowing Ophelia right in the throat. She got the rope from around her neck, grabbed both girls by their hair, before slamming their foreheads into each other. Not even bothering with restraints, she slid over to Phil.

"Phil! Oh gods. Oh my gods, _Phil_ ," she breathed, hand brushing his face before she pressed it against the wound to stop the bleeding.

"Coral-"

"No, don't talk, don't do anything, just, stay still," she shushed. She got a walkie talkie from his pocket and activated it. "Man down, man down, we have a man down. I repeat, Agent Coulson is down!" She pressed both her hands into his chest now, because one wasn't cutting it and oh _God_ , there was so much blood. "It's gonna be okay, Phil. You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay."

"Coral-"

"No. No, don't you dare say goodbye. Okay? You're gonna be okay."

"Where the fuck is that medical team?"

The sound of boots pounding on the ground echoed up the hall and the two agents looked up to see Director Fury run in.

"I-I-I tried-the-the bleeding-I just-I-"

"Get the medics," he snapped.

"But-"

"GO!" He pushed her toward the door and she stumbled down the steps but caught herself on the frame. She hurried up the hall, as best as she could in her state, nearly tripping over herself. She found them and practically dragged them back to where the Cage used to be.

"Hurry! Hurry, he's here. He's injured, there's a lot of blood, please just help-" She stopped when she saw him.

He wasn't moving. He wasn't breathing. He was just there. Sitting there. Glassy eyed like one of those posters or action figures he kept in his office. Except those were _supposed_ to be like that. Not him. Never him. It… it wasn't possible. It was a trick. Loki had tricked them before, this had to be a trick. But now he was blocked from her sight, the medical team poking him, prodding him, like the none too gentle Chimera doctors. They took his wrist. Checked his pulse.

 _Please Phil._

 _One miracle._

 _That's all._

 _Just_ one _._

They dropped the hand.

… _No._

She fell to her knees, just staring at him. He was still staring.

He wasn't seeing.

He'd seen everything before, seen right through Stark and Thor and Barton and Nat and Hill and her and even Fury.

 _Why wasn't he seeing now?_

She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, guide her back to her feet and through the halls.

But it wasn't Phil.

It would never be Phil again.


	5. Man Down, Woman Up

**A/N: Hey everybody! Here it is! The big climax! What we've all been waiting for: The Battle of New York! Okay, so, a few new characters in this chapter that are mostly cameo roles, played by Waad Mohammed (I know she's Saudi and the character's a Pakistani girl, but don't know many Pakistani actresses and the ones I could find were not the age I was looking for), Tom Holland, and Stan Lee. Also, if you want me to add a bit more descriptions to the fighting, just put that in a review and I'll be happy to oblige when I go back and do edits. Seriously, people, please tell me about any plot holes or spelling/grammatical errors** ** **or general issues** you find, I want to make this as good as possible!**

Man Down, Woman Up

Coral sat on her cot in the medical wing, legs pulled up to her chest, chin resting on her knees. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she stared into space, like Coulson's unseeing eyes. The door slid open and someone entered. Her cot sunk down a bit as the person sat next to her on it.

"I know you think this is your fault," Nick Fury began but she stopped him.

"It is."

"No, it isn't."

"Yes it-"

"No, stop right now. For just a minute. Listen." She did. "It isn't your fault." He sighed. "I lied to you about the Phase 2. I knew you wouldn't like it, but the Council and I felt we needed a contingency plan for situations like this. People do stupid things in the name of protection and security. You know that better than most." She shook her head.

"But I was there. And he was there. And I knew Loki could do magic or whatever the fuck that stuff is. I should've told him, he didn't know, and-"

"And Loki is a God and Coulson is… _was_ … human." Fury exhaled through his nose. "I shouldn't have just sent you two after him. Now, we could go on and on about 'what ifs' and 'should haves' all day, but it doesn't change anything. S.H.I.E.L.D. is essentially useless, Thor and the Hulk are God-Knows-Where, we've lost one of our best agents, and there's an Alien invasion looking to take over the planet looming on the horizon. This puts all precedents to shame… But I won't send you into battle." She looked up at him, confused. "You were almost choked to death, King. Plus, Coulson would want you to be safe, and while we may still be scrambling, it's still safer here than wherever Loki's planning on opening that portal. We can get you a new identity, a new face, everything. Give you the life I know you've been dreaming of." She blinked at him before looking down, unsure of how to respond. He got up and went to leave, but turned back before he did.

"He was going to take you to New York when you got some time off," he said. She looked up at him again. "He wanted to take you there to ask if you were okay with him adopting you." Her eyes widened. "Just felt you should know." And he left her, with the shattered remains of her thoughts and dreams and hopes for the future.

* * *

Loki hung up the Quinjet's untraceable line; Selvig was in position, everything was on schedule, and in an hour, the Chitauri would be on Earth and a new era would begin.

"You didn't have to kill him," a voice said. Loki turned to survey the young dark haired Chimera agent who had spoken, who appeared to be staring out of the windshield like she hadn't spoken at all.

"What?" he asked. She turned to him.

"Agent Coulson," she clarified. "He wasn't a threat. Why kill him and not the Avengers?"

"I want the Avengers broken before they die," he said simply. She chuckled darkly.

"That's your mistake. Killing Coulson and not them. They're not gonna let that slide."

"Good," he smirked. She straightened up sharply.

"You don't get it, do you? You've just pissed off the most powerful people on the planet. Even if you did manage to kill your brother, which I _highly_ doubt you did, you're still going to have a lot of very angry Avengers after you." Loki bristled and straightened up, towering over her. She stared up at him, refusing to be cowed.

"And you think you know better? You two could barely handle the girl."

"A girl who happens to have received the same training as us. I'd like to see you take your brother head on." Loki grabbed the dark haired girl and ripped her from her seat, the straps breaking as she was wrenched away. The redhead went to defend her friend, but a nod to his men and the girl was restrained as well.

"Open the hatch," he ordered the pilot.

"WHAT!" the redhead cried and the brunette's eyes widened, though she maintained a brave face. The hatch opened and the God and his men dangled the girls over the drop. "This is Sin you're dealing with, Mother Night's prize pupil, the sole heir to the wickedest man the world has ever known!" the redhead cried. Loki just stared her down and she lost her nerve.

"Your words mean _nothing_ to a God." He turned to the brunette, who was still glowering at him. "Inform your organization that I do not, nor will I ever, require their assistance. And they better get ready to pray if we cross paths again."

"In that case, you might consider giving us some chutes; we're not gods, after all," the brunette smiled sardonically. Loki sized her up for a moment before smirking a bit and nodding his head. He could appreciate her nerve; didn't mean he wouldn't throw the chute at her with enough force to knock her out of the plane, but he appreciated it, nonetheless. The redhead was thrown out as well and with that, the God turned back to the inside of the jet.

Meanwhile, as the two young Chimera agents hurtled to the ground, Ophelia managed to clip on the chute and grab onto her friend, releasing the chute the moment her friend was secure. They still hit the ground hard, but were merely bruised and not broken. The two stared and huffed as the Quinjet vanished over the horizon.

"He left us. He left us!" Sinthea shrieked, looking around the field they'd landed in. She kicked up grass and dirt in a fury. "Here! In the middle of _nowhere_!"

"Quiet, Sin, I'm making a call," Ophelia said, dialing a number on her phone as her friend continued with her tantrum. Time to bring in the back-up.

* * *

 _ **Ring!**_

Coral frowned. Odd, she had songs attached to all her contacts, so why was this one on the default tone. She checked her phone, found the number blocked, and, after a moment of debate, answered it. "Hello?"

"Need Loki's location?" Ophelia Sarkissian's voice inquired.

Coral froze. _What the_ …

"How did you even get my number?"

"Do you want to find out where Coulson's murderer is or not?" Silence.

"Why should I trust you?"

"Our needs are the same. Once again, our goals are the same. You need to kill him and I need _you_ to kill him."

"… Alright, where's he headed?"

"40.7903° North by 73.9597° West," Ophelia said, rattling off the coordinates of the autopilot she'd memorized before they'd been dropped. Coral plugged the numbers in and her eyes went wide when the location popped up.

"That's Manhattan Island!" she cried. Ophelia cursed over the line as Coral considered this. _Why-_ "OHMYGODSIAMANIDIOT!"

"OW! What was that for?!" Ophelia said, rubbing her pinky in her ringing right ear.

"Stark Tower!" Coral said. "It has the mechanics with the brand spanking new arc reactor and the motive with it being connected to Tony Stark." She heard more cursing on the other end of the line.

"Coral, if he opens that portal, no matter if he chooses to rule or destroy, millions will be in the line of fire," Ophelia said. Coral blinked.

"I'm surprised you guys care."

"I don't!" Sinthea's voice cried, but she was cut off by Ophelia's, "It's our planet too and we can't save it if he takes over it first."

"Again, Chimera's more likely to burn the world than save it."

"Neither here nor now, Coral. Now get up, get there, and save the world."

Coral smiled sadly; this was her sister speaking, not the brainwashed Chimera agent who inhabited her body. So she nodded and replied with, "Yes ma'am."

Ophelia went to hang up but stopped at the last moment. "You know, I was thrilled when I found out you were a part of the Avengers Initiative. Thrilled to my toes."

Coral couldn't tell whether she was sarcastic or sincere so she said, "Thanks." _I think_.

Ophelia smiled and said, "Give him Hel from us, sister," before hanging up.

Coral looked at her phone, "Will do, sis," before doing the same. She then shot up and raced into the next room. "Guys, Loki's in-"

"New York," Cap, Clint, and Natasha all finished for her. She stopped.

"… Yeah." Wow, was she out of the loop.

"Don't feel bad. Stark just deducted it while on a tangent," Cap said.

"Oh." Silence. "Well, better get suited up," she said, giving Clint a quick hug as she headed for the door, but Cap blocked her way.

"What are you talking about? You're not coming, you're too-"

"Captain Rogers, I just watched the closest thing I've ever had to a father die. I _need_ to do this and if you think you're gonna stop me, you'll be needing a checkup for the concussion I'm about to give you." Cap looked her over, before turning to Clint and Nat, who nodded.

"Better get suited up then," he said and she smiled.

* * *

On the Helicarrier and in a field not far away:

A soldier of a war long won put on his helmet and shield.

An assassin with no particular target slipped on his quiver of arrows.

A spy with no country to serve attached a glove gauntlet with rounds to her wrist. A blue light charged.

A young agent without a Supervising Officer belted several sheaths of knives around her legs and arms and flipped a hood up to cover her hair.

A genius billionaire playboy philanthropist welded his helmet, the lights in the eye holes slowly flickering back to life.

A blinding bolt of lightning struck an ancient godly weapon, covering its wielder with armor.

Finally armed and prepared, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Viper strode through the Helicarrier, ready for battle. A young S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot stood in their way as they boarded a Quinjet.

"Hey, you're not authorized to be here-"

"Son… just don't," Captain America said. He looked between the Captain and the assassin and the spy and the agent, before wisely bowing out.

 _How are you?_ Coral signed at the Archer as they readied the systems and unloaded their supplies.

 _I'll live_ , he signed back. She wanted to ask more, but had a feeling that was all he would say on the matter for now. Besides, he and Nat were busy prepping the jet for take-off. And from the looks of it, they were pulling out all the stops. So after doing a few quick stretches, she secured herself in her seat.

"You should strap in, Cap," she said.

"I prefer to be able to make a quick exit," he said, adjusting the straps on his shield. She raised an eyebrow, but shrugged.

"Suit yourself."

They weren't as fast Ironman, but they got to New York in record time.

"Stark, we're heading northeast," Nat said.

"What, did you stop for drive-thru!?" the newly suited billionaire cried. "Swing up Park, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you."

Sure enough, Ironman flew perpendicular to the Quinjet on East 40th Street, the following Chitauri coming into the range of the Quinjet. Nat activated out machine gun and fired on the Chitauri, reducing them to bits of metal. Unfortunately, as they rounded Stark Tower, more fighters dropped out of the sky, damaging the wing. They elevated a bit to survey the damage catching sight of Thor and Loki battling savagely.

"Nat-"

"I see them."

Loki fired his scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. Before he could take advantage of his momentary upper hand, the Quinjet fired on the God. He snarled and shot the jet; this time, the damage was critical.

"Hang on back there!" Nat cried as the jet lost altitude and started to swerve. Coral gripped the seat, though she was easily having more luck than the Captain, who was flailing around, hanging on for dear life. Nat and Clint barely avoided the buildings before scrapping the street and crashing down, leaving a trail of destroyed concrete in their wake.

"See, this is why I don't like flying," Coral said, fingers stumbling over her straps and getting to her feet unsteadily. Luckily, the ramp was undamaged, so the four Avengers made their way out onto the battlefield, staring up into the deep abyss of the Tesseract portal. Suddenly, there came a groaning noise. A growl, both monstrous and mechanical, echoed into the city. With that roar, a shadow exited the abyss. From the portal, something from the depths of Hell emerged: a living warship, armored and carrying hundreds of Chitauri. The creature glided above the Avengers, the soldiers launching themselves from their whale of a warship, scraping down the buildings or leaping through the windows.

"Stark, are you seeing this?"

"Seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet?"

"Banner?"

"Just keep me posted."

The Avengers took refuge behind overturned taxis.

"We've got civilians trapped-"

 _ **BOOM!**_

The street was filled once again with explosions as the Chitauri rained hell upon the people of New York, headed this time by the man himself. "Loki," Cap murmured, surveying the landscape. "Those people are fish in a barrel down there."

Some Chitauri soldiers landed between the Captain and the civilians. The Black Widow and the Viper pulled out their pistols and started thinning the herd. "We got this. It's good. Go!" the spy cried.

"You think you can hold them off?" Cap said, still unsure.

"Captain," Hawkeye said, fingering a trigger on his bow, which slotted an arrow into one of the special arrowheads. "It would be my genuine pleasure." He shot an arrow into a creature's head, which fired off a few rounds into the other assailants. This gave Cap enough of a distraction to get down the street to where the people are. Viper nodded toward a bus with people and she and Hawkeye moved together, Nat giving them cover as they secured the passengers. Breaking the windows, the duo carefully maneuvered the small children out of the steel trap, Coral keeping all of them together as she and Clint pulled the doors open and let the rest of the riders out.

"Head underground," Coral shouted to the people, pushing them toward Grand Central Station, before rejoining the fight.

The trio now stood side-by-side, keeping the aliens off of the retreating civilians. "Just like Budapest all over again!" Widow said.

"You and I remember Budapest very differently," stated Hawkeye.

"You guys have to tell me what happened there one day," Coral said. They don't respond.

The aliens are suddenly upon them, meaning hand-to-hand was the new norm. Hawkeye knocked down a Chitauri and staked an arrow into its throat. Nat, having run out of bullets, was now using her fists, her electrical "Widow's Bite" gloves, and the Chitauri's own weapons against them, using both the blades and the blasts to decimate the enemy. Cap rejoined the group, using his shield, swatting and whacking oncoming soldiers. Some Chitauri began closing on them… until lightning struck down from the sky. The aliens were suddenly electrocuted as Thor landed unsteadily, clutching his side.

"What's the story upstairs?" Cap asked.

"The power surrounding the cube is impenetrable," he said as Coral helped him put in an earbud and patch his wound with a spray foam bandage.

"Thor's right, we gotta deal with these guys," Ironman said as he wooshed past.

"How do we do this?"

"As a team," Cap stated.

"I have unfinished business with Loki-"

"Get in line," Hawkeye and Viper snapped at Thor.

"Save it. Loki's gonna keep this fight focused on us and that's what we need. Without him these things could run wild. We got Stark up top, he's gonna need us…"

The Captain trailed off as through all the chaos and destruction, the sound of a noisy motorbike rolled up to them. They turned to find Doctor Bruce Banner, in new clothes, looking no worse for wear considering he fell a few thousand feet after being shot by a military jet. He wandered up to them, like a nervous child on his first day at a new school.

"So, this all seems horrible," he said.

"I've seen worse," Nat said.

"Sorry," he said.

"No. We could use a little worse," she said. They all nodded and Coral gave him a gentle nudge on the shoulder. He smiled.

"Stark? We got him," Cap said.

"Banner?"

"Just like you said."

"Then tell him to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you."

Ironman rounded a building, which exploded as the Leviathan bounded after him. The rest of the Avengers blanched.

"I… I don't see how that's a party…" Widow said. Coral nodded nervously.

"Let's make a pact now to never go to one of Stark's parties." The Avengers muttered in agreement.

Ironman swooped down the street, the behemoth following close behind, trailing over cars and debris like a giant worm of death. The Captain looked to Banner.

"Dr. Banner. Now might be a really good time for you to get angry." Banner was already walking toward the creature.

"That's my secret, Captain," he said, smiling at his fellow Avengers. "I'm always angry."

Banner's body began to swell and stretch and harden and go green. He grew and grew and grew and the Leviathan was almost on top of him and - _**SMASH!**_

The Incredible Hulk announced his presence to the world by bringing his fist down into the skull of the monster that dare invade his home. The Leviathan started to arc, its armor clunking and coming apart as the creature contorted grotesquely. A chink appeared and Ironman sent a missile into the gap, the Avengers (apart from Thor) scrambling for cover as the beast was felled, its head sliding to the street below. The Chitauri foot soldiers tore their masks off and screamed at those who dare fight back.

Hulk roared right back, throwing his arms back. Hawkeye notched an arrow in his bow. Thor readied his hammer. Viper twirled her throwing knives. Black Widow reloaded, surveying her prey. Cap adjusted his shield. Ironman descended back down to Earth to stand alongside his teammates. They were the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. And they were going to save their world.

Of course, this was only the beginning. From the portal above, the Chitauri spilled, even more numerous than before.

"Guys," Nat said, reminding them of their mission.

"Call it, Cap," Ironman said.

"Alright, listen up. Until we can close that portal up there, we're gonna use containment," Cap said. "Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash."

"Wanna give me a lift?" Hawkeye asked.

"Right. Better clench up, Legolas," Ironman said. Clint did as he said as Stark rocketed him up to the building.

"Thor, you've gotta try and bottleneck that portal," Cap continued. "Slow them down. You've got the lightning. Light the bastards up." Thor swung his hammer around before taking off, the breeze brushing Black Widow and Coral's hair as he went. Cap turned to them. "You and me, we stay here on the ground, keep the fighting here. Viper, you're on crowd control. Get the civilians to safety and try to keep the Aliens off of them."

Coral nodded, "Yes sir," before flipping off the highway to the street below.

"And Hulk: SMASH."

The Hulk was happy to comply.

* * *

Coral suspected Cap gave her civilian duty to keep her as far from the action as possible, but knew better than to bring it up during the battle. He was a soldier from a time long past; he'd realize eventually that wars were fought by everyone now, not just on the home front, but on the front lines. She knew that better than most.

At least the work was good. Thankfully, most of the civilians had the sense to head underground, so Coral was working more on keeping the Chitauri herd away from the ones making their way toward the tunnels than anything else.

Throw a knife into the chest of one, kick his friend across the face before flipping over him, pulling the knife from the first alien and embedding it in the throat of the second.

She kept an eye on her teammates, keeping track of their progress. Nat now had a small cut on her forehead and was getting tired, at least compared to Captain America. But she seemed to have a plan. At least, Coral hoped she did; otherwise, she'd gone crazy, as Nat was now attempting to pilot one of the Chitauri's sky jet skis (and _yes_ , that was what she was going to call them, deal with it).

Thankfully (and she couldn't believe she was saying this) Tony Stark had her back, keeping the Chitauri soldiers off her tail. He made his way down to Captain America, who fought off more Chitauri, the two tag teaming and quite literally using their lack of cohesion to their advantage, bouncing Stark's repulsor blasts off of Cap's shield. He then swatted away the soldiers scaling Hawkeye's building, as the Archer felled Chitauri after Chitauri. One of his arrows sent a sky ski careening into the Leviathan Thor and Hulk were fighting upon. Together, they tore out a piece of its spine and hammered it through the monster's body. The creature began to fall to the Earth, directly toward Grand Central Station. Coral immediately started pulling people away and warning those already inside to go deeper, pulling an old white haired man with dark sunglasses out of the way as the creature collapsed into the station. He looked at her and asked, "You a superhero or something kid?"

She shrugged and said, "Or something." She then helped the man get to another building, handing him off to a security guard as the Chitauri swarmed again.

Six dropped out of the sky, surrounding her. It was almost a fair fight. She sent a knife into one's eye, leaped up and split kicked the two Chitauri on either side of her. She then brought out her special weapon: a punjab lasso. Unlike other lassos, which were noose-like in appearance, this was just a length of thin cord with a weight at the end. She whipped it around her head, knocking all the Chitauri back, before flinging it at one, knocking him back, and wrapping it around the neck of another, pulling it tight and snapping its neck. She tossed an electrical disk at another before running at the Chitauri she'd stabbed in the eye, kneeing it to the ground, and pounding the knife through the creature's brain. She kicked one back into a protruding piece of steel, dodged the blade of another in time to stick a knife in between what she assumed were his ribs. She grabbed the weight of her lasso, twisted it, releasing spikes, before sending it into the eye socket of another alien. She dodged the decapitating blow of the final creature, breaking its leg from her kneeling position, before kneeing it in the nose, pistol whipping it across the face, and putting a bullet in its skull. She surveyed the damage and sighed; not very quick or clean but at least she was alive.

A moment of silence. The sky skis were about to make another pass. Viper reloaded her pistol and crouched behind a car. But then she saw her.

A little Pakistani girl.

Standing straight and still from shock.

Directly in the line of fire.

Coral bolted for the girl as fast as she could through the debris filled block, yet everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The Chitauri blasts headed right for the little girl, getting closer and closer every second. They filled the already filthy street with more dust and debris. Coral dove and managed to grab the girl and drag her out of the line of fire. Quickly and carefully, she checked the girl for injuries. Finding none, she got the smelling salts from one of her numerous belt pouches and waved them under the girl's nose. The child promptly snapped out of her trance with an ear-piercing scream and a struggle that gave even Coral a run for her money. "Hey! Hey, it's ok. I've got you! I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you!" she said, and the girl calmed down. Or at least she stopped screaming. "What's your name?"

"Kamala."

"Hi Kamala. I'm Coral. It's nice to meet you," she said. She extended her hand, which Kamala shook steadily. "Do you know where your parents are?" She shook her head. "Then I'm gonna help you find them. Okay?" The girl nodded. It wasn't that hard. There was a Pakistani couple and their son further down the street, taking refuge under an overhang near a shawarma shop, crying out her name. Coral raced over the rubble to return her to them, flipping over cars and carefully avoiding being spotted.

"Oh Kamala!" the mother cried, as she, the father, and the son grabbed the girl, hugging her with all their might. "My daughter… My daughter…" Coral smiled, but then looked away, surveying her surroundings, not wanting to intrude on this moment but still wanting to keep them safe. The mother approached her hesitantly. "Who are you?" Coral considered her for a moment; names were powerful things. And the most public name would be the one people would see her as.

In the end, she replied with the truth: "I'm the Viper."

They didn't seem to know what to make of that.

 _ **Bang! B-b-bangbangbang!**_

The Chitauri were coming around again. "And that's my cue," she said, snapping back to soldier mode. "Get underground. Don't come up till-"

 _ **BOOM!**_

The girl screamed as the sky skis returned to rain destruction upon them. Coral threw the family back behind a column, using her body to shield them from any debris that might harm them. Bits of glass and concrete scraped her jacket, but everyone was relatively unharmed. She hurried them underground, looking up in time to see that this time, the Chitauri were headed by the Great Cow himself. She growled and headed right back out into the street, unfolding her compact sniper rifle as she went. She still had five titanium bullets left; should be enough to kill anything, even a God. She shot at him with her regular bullets, taking out his wingmen, before switching to her rifle and nicking his hand to get his attention. It did. He snarled, turned around, and headed straight for her. She readied her rifle.

 _ **BANG!**_

Miss. He was too far out; she was a good shot, but not Hawkeye by any means. She reloaded and waited this time.

 _ **BANG!**_

 _ **Tink!**_

She hit him, but not his head. The helmet, while ridiculous, seemed to be doing an adequate job at protecting his thick Asgardian/Jotun skull. Still, she doubted he would shake off a titanium bullet in the eye.

 _ **BANG!**_

 _ **Tink!**_

Still just a graze. Loki powered up his ski's blasters and started bombarding the block, trying to intimidate her, scare her into moving. She stood her ground, took a deep breath, and loaded her last round.

 _ **Thunk-BANG!**_

 _ **Tink!**_

Her last titanium bullet rebounded off of Loki's cowhead helmet as she was tackled to the ground. The blasts rained down, obliterating the spot where she stood seconds before. Viper glared up at the God from the ground, who smirked up at her. She got up angrily pushing the flustered civilian off of her.

"I HAD HIM!" she shouted.

"Sorry! I just, I couldn't-" the bespectacled brown haired kid cried.

"Well you should've! Now get underground!" she shouted at him and he quickly shuffled away, picking up the remains of a camera as he went. She groaned and rolled her eyes angrily as he went; she knew he meant no harm, but she probably wouldn't get another chance to take Loki down. She sighed, before heading back up the street, checking her supplies as she went. Out of bullets, one electrical disk left, a Taser, her lasso, and whatever she had around her. Which, considering the number of Chitauri now surrounding her, was not much. She overloaded her last electrical disk with the Taser, slid it under a nearby car, which exploded and arced, crushing two Chitauri. She fended off the remaining ones with her lasso and acrobatics, until she could get one of their weapons, making quick work of blasting and hacking them to bits from there. She sighed and looked down at the Chitauri. They glowed blue. Mechanical, electrical blue. And they didn't seem to have any kind of ranking system or commanding officers. She frowned and put a hand to her ear as she watched the blue light go out on a Chitauri.

"Hey guys! Do you remember _Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace_?" Coral asked.

"I blocked most of it out the moment Jar-Jar came on screen," Clint said.

"I think I fell asleep a bit before that," Nat said.

"Why would you bring up something like that right now, King?! I was having fun!" Stark cried, blasting a few more Chitauri with his repulsors.

"I have a point, I swear." She took out another soldier and got the same result: the blue glowing stopped. "I think these things might be like the droids in the final battle. A hive mind powered by energy similar to the Tesseract. If we take out the command center, it might take them all out." A moment of com silence as they fought and considered her idea. "Thor, I don't suppose you can breathe in space?"

"Unfortunately not, young one. Asgardians are powerful, but even we have our limits," Thor said. Coral frowned.

"How far do your missiles go, Stark?"

"I'd have to physically fly through the portal, and even then, my suit fully powered and stocked might not be enough. Besides, the suits are pressurized but not built for space." Coral clicked her tongue.

"Darn. Oh well, anyone got a plan B?"

"I think I might have one," Nat said. A second later, it appeared as though she did indeed have a plan. "I can close it! Can anybody hear me? I can shut the portal down!"

"Do it!" Cap cried.

"No, wait!" Ironman said.

"Stark, these things are still coming!"

"I got a nuke coming in, it's gonna blow in less than a minute. And I know just where to put it." The team watched as Ironman sped up alongside the warhead, grabbing onto it and beginning to redirect it toward the portal.

"Stark, you know that's a one-way trip?"

He didn't answer them. Probably trying to think of a way out. Good. If anyone could figure out how to cheat death, it'd be Tony Stark.

Ironman and the missile got closer and closer to the portal, Stark having to put all his energy into directing the Nuke up, scraping up the side of Stark Tower as he rocketed up. Suddenly, they went through. It seemed as if the whole world let out a held breath at once. A moment later, all of the Chitauri soldiers and creatures keeled over, whether dead or deactivated no one could be sure, but defeated nonetheless. The Avengers looked up through the portal, searching for their Consultant, unsure if he'd make it through. No sign of him. And the radiation was getting closer.

"Close it," came Cap's voice.

The Black Widow didn't hesitate. The portal closed quickly, but not before a small humanoid figure came through at the last second. Ironman. Now plummeting back to Earth.

"Son of a gun!" Cap smiled.

But he kept falling. And falling. And falling.

"He's not slowing down," Thor said, swinging Mjölnir around, readying to catch him if need be. Something - or someone - beat him to the punch. The Hulk snagged him in mid-air, sliding down a building before cushioning their fall with his own impenetrable body. Coral started racing toward them, but she was still a ways off. The silence wasn't a good sign. So the Hulk rectified that, roaring at the top of his lungs and startling Tony Stark back to life.

"What the hell? What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me?" Stark cried. A pause as everything started to sink in.

"We won," Cap sighs, voicing everyone's exhausted thoughts.

"Alright. Yay. Alright. Good job, guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow," Stark suggested. "Let's just take a day. Have you ever tried shawarma? There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I wanna try it."

"We're not finished yet," Thor said.

A beat.

"And then shawarma after."

* * *

Loki crawled across the floor of Stark Tower's Penthouse, trying to sit-up at least. He took a few breaths, sensing someone behind him. He turned to find seven angry Avengers staring down at him. He sagged.

"If it's all the same to you… I'll have that drink now."

The Hulk snorted angrily at him.


	6. A Promise

**A/N: So, this was a pretty rough week. Moment of silence for those who lost their lives in the (far-too many) shootings this weekend. (closes eyes and takes deep breath)  
**

 **On a lighter note, we've finished the first Avengers' movie and the first(ish?) movie in Viper's franchise.  
**

 **Thank you to all of people who followed, favorited, or just read this story, special mention to my dear friends, ericaphoenix16 who reviewed every chapter and jaguarspot who BETA read for me.**

 **Speaking of which, I have an idea to encourage reviews; for every one review I receive, the reviewer shall receive a one-shot i.e. if you review all six chapters, you get six one-shots. If you don't have an account, I have a tumblr so if you have one, message me and I'll send you one, or we can work something out.  
**

 **These are the titles for the ones I'm considering (the Italisized ones are the ones I'm leaning toward), just choose which one you want and tell me in a review: Item 47 (Where Viper helps Sitwell out with collecting the remaining Chitauri weapons), While she was away (what the Avengers got into while Coral wasn't around in the Avengers), First glance (the Avengers first thoughts upon meeting their youngest recruit), Council (Fury receives the Council's complaints regarding the youngest Avenger), _Coulson_ (Coral attends Coulson's funeral, Coulson's reaction to coming back to life)** **, _Barely Lethal AU_ (rewrite of chapter 1 of Viper, where the Viper is recruited at the worst place possible: her high school bus stop), _Buffy 1_ (Coral and Coulson watching "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" together), ****_The Call_ (Coral is given the duty of informing a certain family about their father's whereabouts). **

**And on that note, I was wondering which of the following changes you guys like:**

 **Getting a rid of the Barton family? (I'm on the fence about this one, it's more just wondering about your guys' preferences)**

 **Making little edits here or there to chapters I've already published? (Add a bit more action in parts, fix errors, stuff like that)  
**

 **Taking a break between "movies" to give me more time to work out kinks and make sure the new plots are well planned? (The next movie will be a Phase 1 "Viper" origin story movie)  
**

 **Making Coulson Jewish? (Clark Gregg married into a Jewish family and I'd like to have that carry on into Coulson and Coral)  
**

 **Making the Maximoffs Roma Jews and maybe mutants? (Because if Hydra!Cap shows us anything, it's that Marvel has forgotten its roots and I feel like I could add a bit more of their comics backstories to their MCU adaptations)  
**

 **Also, would you guys prefer me posting future chapters once a month (which would secure constant chapter updates until Infinity Wars) or for me to post them as I finish them (which may lead to abrupt Hiatuses and possibly rushed chapters)?  
**

 **Anyway, thanks again for reading and please review!**

A Promise

Days later

S.H.I.E.L.D. agents cornered off Bethesda Terrace as the Avengers took Thor and Loki, who had been handcuffed and muzzled. Thor shook hands with his team and gave Selvig a hug. Thor had to go back to Asgard, of course. As much as he wanted to stay, someone had to deliver Loki. And while he loved Earth, he had a whole eight other Realms to protect, some of which had been thrown into chaos since the destruction of the Bifrost, though reconstruction time was bound to be cut in half with the help of the Tesseract.

Tony opened the Tesseract's case and Banner took it out, placing it inside the Tesseract Harness being held by Thor. Coral used the opportunity to whisper a few choice words into Nat and Clint's ears, which made them smirk at the gagged and bound God of Mischief. Thor held out the other end to Loki, who reluctantly took it. The Asgardians activated the device and disappeared. Then, one-by-one, the group splintered off, strolling into different directions.

Stark and Banner headed back to Stark Tower. Tony had offered all the Avengers a floor of the Tower. They all declined with the exception being Banner, who was happy to return to both the States and Science, as long as the Stark Foundation added medical care advancement to its agenda, especially in places like Calcutta.

Steve was driving to DC on his Harley Davidson. After everything that had happened, he'd come to the realization that he couldn't hide or run from the past… and seeing as how Peggy Carter was the only part of his past still living, the best way to move forward was going to see her.

Clint, Nat, and Coral walked off toward the Bethesda Fountain, first stop on their tour of New York City. S.H.I.E.L.D. had given them some time off, on account of them helping save the world and all, and while Coulson might not've been able to show Coral around the city, Clint and Nat certainly could.

So they all parted ways. For now.

For there would come another day, a day unlike any other, when Earth's mightiest heroes and heroines found themselves united against a common threat. On that day, the Avengers would return-to fight the foes no single superhero could withstand! Though through the years, their roster may change many times, their glory would never be denied! Heed the call, then-for now, the Avengers Assemble!

THE AVENGERS

Keke Palmer as The Viper

Isabelle Fuhrman as Ophelia Sarkissian

Elle Fanning as Sinthea Schmidt

Omar Metwally as En Sabah Nur

THE AVENGERS

After-Credits Scene

Sinthea Schmidt and Ophelia Sarkissian were kneeling down on a cold concrete floor, heads bowed, eyes down.

"The God has been exiled. The Tesseract is lost. And now Fury has his Avengers, just like he always wanted," Ophelia reported. There was the sound of a cane slamming on the ground and both girls flinched. They sunk lower, heads touching the ground.

"Forgive us, Mother. We have failed," they said together. Two black-taloned hands lifted the girls' faces up to look into the eyes of Night herself.

"No, my girls," she said, in a gentle, German accented voice. "We have only just begun." She gestured for them to rise and follow her. The obeyed. "Come. I believe it is time to fully bring you into our world." A heavy metal door opened for them and they entered a dark room, the door sealing ominously behind them.

And Michelle Pfeiffer as Mother Night

After-After-Credits Scene

The Avengers sat around a table in the surprisingly clean and organized "Shawarma Palace" Tony had somehow spotted in the midst of getting heavily beaten by Chitauri.

Thor was digging into his food with great fervor, while the majority of the others seated barely picked at their fries. Cap rested his head and his eyes, leaning on his propped up arm. Natasha and Clint had their feet on each other's seats, slowly nibbling at their fries. Coral sat next to Clint, curled up in her chair, finally managing to get some (hopefully) uninterrupted sleep, after having already wolfed down an enormous burger, a serving of shawarma, and two orders of curly fries. Bruce, while not as heartily as Thor, was still digging in a great deal more than the others, as taking down an army and beating up a Norse god was bound to burn calories. Tony sat, staring into space, mulling over the battle as he chewed, occasionally wiping his fingers with a napkin.

Honestly, what else can you do after saving the world?


	7. The Call

**A/N: First chapter of the Phase 1 Viper origin story! Wohoo!**

 **Blonde girl in this chapter is played by young Kate Mara. The other characters you've already met or only appear in this chapter.**

The Call

26 January 2010

It started when Director Fury's computer went haywire. It had been fine all day, until about 13:15, when it decided that now would be the perfect time to have a fit.

"Hill?" Fury called. The Level 9 agent poked her head into the sterile metallic office to see the problem and had already sent the message by the time six seconds had passed.

"Tech's on their way, sir. It shouldn't take long."

"'Shouldn't' isn't the same as 'won't.'"

But within two minutes, an Asian man and Hispanic woman in lab coats with S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia were looking over the set-up.

"Sir, we think we know how to stop this virus, but… " the Asian man trailed off.

"But what?" the Head of S.H.I.E.L.D. prodded the two to continue. They looked between each other, before they turned the screen toward him.

"We think it's a distress call. Line of code looks a lot like coordinates," the Hispanic woman finished, indicating a repeating set of numbers at the top of the screen.

"Where?"

The two techies quickly looked the coordinates up and responded with, "The middle of the Alps, sir." Fury's eye narrowed.

"We don't have any Agents out there."

"No, we do not sir," Hill confirmed with a thin lipped expression and a shake of her head. She and the Director shared a glance; if it wasn't an agent, who was it? And more importantly, how did they manage to send this signal to one of the most secure lines on the planet?

"Send in Barton and Romanoff. Have an extraction team on standby just in case," Fury ordered.

"Director, sending in our best-"

"It's _because_ they're our best that we're sending them in. Whoever did this obviously knew what they were doing, now I'd like to find out who and why."

"Consider it done sir," Hill conceded, heading out of the office to follow orders.

* * *

Black Widow and Hawkeye sat side-by-side in the Quinjet, readying their weapons as the pilot slowed the aircraft for dropping speed.

"Ten bucks says this is a trap," Clint bet, pulling his parka hood more securely over his head.

"Pass. I'd be betting against myself," Natasha replied, holstering her weapons. The two agents kneeled down and waited.

 _3…_

 _2…_

 _1…_

The floor dropped out from under their feet and they fell into the snow below.

* * *

"Mutter Nacht, es gibt eine S.H.I.E.L.D. Klasse Quinjet direkt über unsere Osteingang / _Mother Night, there's a S.H.I.E.L.D. class Quinjet right over our east entrance_ ," a blonde man in a dark green jumpsuit and com in his ear said, pointing to the screen where a Quinjet hovered. A tall, thin, pale older woman with high cheekbones and a haughty face dressed in a black cowl and military uniform with a gold collar necklace stepped forward to survey it.

"Gab es eine Meldung über einen Besuch? / _Was there a message about a visit?_ " she inquired.

"Keine gnädige Frau. / _None ma'am._ " Then she saw them, Black Widow and Hawkeye, descend from the aircraft and head right for the entrance. Mother Night's eyes narrowed and she straightened up.

"Selbstzerstörungssequenz. Now. / _Self-destruct sequence. Now._ " The officer nodded and soon the others followed, slipping switches and turning keys. But then, the screens went dark, and not the kind of dark they wanted when still needing to give commands.

"Frau, scheint es etwas falsch mit the sein- / _Ma'am, there seems to be something wrong with the-_ "

" _Sabotage_ ," the woman hissed. She knew this was planned. Now she knew _who_ planned it. "Zerstöre alle Beweise unserer Arbeit. Ich werde mit den Mädchen umgehen / _Destroy all evidence of our work. I shall deal with the girls_."

"Sofort, Ma'am / _Right away, ma'am_ ," the officer said. She swept out of the room, security guards carrying cases of explosives hurrying past her, but taking care not to hinder her. She went down darkened stairwells, through heavy metal doors, until she opened on into a warehouse like room with dozens upon dozens of military grade bunk beds.

However, none of them were occupied. Fuming with breath like fire, she stormed over to the soldiers shaking off the remainders of their brief period of unconsciousness, throwing the leader against the wall.

"WO SIND SIE?"/"WHERE ARE THEY!" she screamed at him.

* * *

"I really wish I could say I wasn't expecting a trap," Hawkeye said to his partner, crouched behind some boxes to take cover from the gunfire, before letting loose an arrow that then exploded and halted the gunfire long enough for them to move further up the hall, Black Widow covering them with a few shots before they were forced to duck behind makeshift cover of boxes again.

"I don't think this is a trap, Clint," the Widow replied. He gave her a look and she rolled her eyes. "They don't seem organized enough for this to be planned." She turned back toward the enemy and shot off a few more rounds before turning back to her partner.

"What do you think then?" Clint asked. She opened her mouth to reply but stopped when the gunfire suddenly ceased. The both turned around and saw no sign of their attackers. They looked at each other; now _this_ was a trap. Nevertheless, they pressed on through the halls, passing laboratories and a control room, all of which were destroyed by what looked like an explosion. Finally the narrow hallway opened up to a space with vaulted ceilings that went up into darkness and many different passages to choose from. But before the agents could even consider choosing one, the SWAT team-like security guards descended from the darkness.

"Drop the weapons and stand down!" the leader ordered in German accented English, gesturing to the ground with his weapon. Nat and Clint glanced at each other; they could get out of this, of course, but casualties would be high. But better dead than-

"AH!" the man in charge yelled, dropping to one knee as a knife embedded itself in his left lower calf from behind. A small hooded figure then ran up his back, forcing his head into the cement floor, before landing in the middle of the circle.

"Get down!" she shouted, and Black Widow and Hawkeye obeyed, immediately dropping to the floor. The girl hit a staff on the floor and a burst of energy emitted from the top, blowing all the hostiles back into the hard stone walls of the establishment. The three stood and looked at each other, sizing each other up.

"How many are you?" the girl of African descent asked at last.

"Just us. Others will come if and when we call for them," Hawkeye said. Nat still looked at the girl, saying nothing. The girl nodded.

"Call them now. I took care of the rest." The archer looked to his partner, who nodded in confirmation. As he activated the beacon, the girl turned back to the way she came and whistled. And at this point, the agents couldn't bring themselves to even act surprised as a small army of preteen girls crawled up from the tunnels, all in a neat, orderly rows, their backs ramrod straight, and silent as the grave. The dark haired African girl walked up to the eldest blonde, exchanged a few words in German, before the two of them came forward.

"You're S.H.I.E.L.D.?" the blonde asked tentatively in flawless English.

"Yeah," Clint confirmed. The girls then went from frozen solid to moving like grass in the wind. Whispers, tears, sighs of relief, laughs of joy, shouts, murmurs, and praises of, "Gott sei Dank. Vielen Dank, dass der barmherzige Gott im Himmel, Gott sei Dank"/" _Thank God. Thank the merciful God in heaven, thank God_ ," echoed through the establishment.

Except for the Girl. While the other girls were relaxed, anxious, even cheerful, she was blank. She couldn't bring herself to be happy. Not yet. This was only the beginning, after all.


	8. Custody

**A/N: Sooo... I forgot to mention I'd only be updating once a month last chapter. And see as how I just finished the chapter, I figure that's probably how it's gonna be. Sorry. Back to school and all. Actual life requiring I actually do things I have to do.  
**

 **Next chapter should be out either September 20th or 30th (in time for either "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." or "Luke Cage"), but I can make no guarantees.  
**

 **New character, played by Ronda Rousey, the mixed martial artist/actress. Look up the character's name for the why.**

 **Also, ZENDAYA IS GONNA BE MARY JANE! OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY THIS MAKES ME! THE THINGS I CAN DO WITH THIS! YES!  
**

 **Anyway, please read, review, and enjoy!**

Custody

27 January 12:11 AM

Secret Base in the Alps

The S.H.I.E.L.D. emergency medical team that accompanied the Hawk and the Widow was occupying themselves by checking over the dozens of girls who had been discovered in the Alps. They all stood closely together, watching over and protecting one another. All except the Leader, who was debriefing the two Level 7 agents about the situation.

"Ninety-three girls altogether, including me," she stated. "Be wary of the unconscious ones, they're the more volatile of us." As she spoke, their back-up practically carried a still mostly unconscious red-haired girl to the waiting transport.

"The Director's not going to be happy about this," Romanoff commented.

"When is he?" Barton shot back as another escort team brought up the last girl.

" _ **CORAL**_!" a feminine voice screeched. 'Coral' winced.

"Verdammt." / " _Damn_." She and the SHIELD agents turned to see a wild-eyed and no-longer-unconscious brunette snarling and struggling against her captors.

"WAS DENKST DU EIGENTLICH, WAS DU HIER MACHST? / " _WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?_ " she screamed.

"Es tut mir leid, Ophelia-" / " _I'm sorry, Ophelia-_ "

"ES TUT UNS LEID?! WAS GLAUBST DU WER DU BIST!? SIE KÖNNEN NICHT NUR ENTSCHEIDUNGEN FÜR DEN REST VON UNS!" / " _SORRY?! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!? YOU CAN'T JUST MAKE DECISIONS FOR THE REST OF US!_ " she yelled back.

"Get back in-" one of the agents ordered, grabbing the girl's shoulder, only to be knocked down. Three more surged forward, only to get elbowed, kicked, and hit to the ground, until Rumlow's baton caught her in the diaphragm. Winded, she collapsed in on herself, allowing the men to grab her and get a few more hits in.

"No!" Coral rushed forward only to get held back by the Black Widow and Hawkeye. "Don't hurt her!" she demanded. However, if the venomous glare she shot at the other girl as she was lead away was any indication, Ophelia did not appreciate the sentiment. Coral seemed to freeze as the door closed.

"I don't think we're the ones you have to worry about," Rumlow assured her, patting her shoulder. She brushed him off and turned away from the agents. Romanoff and Barton shared a glance.

This was going to get difficult.

* * *

4192 miles

27 January 2010

11:12 AM EST

The Triskelion

Nicholas J. Fury did not do interrogations. He was the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., which entailed him being required to be essentially everywhere at once. Therefore, he left leg work and questionings to his agents. However, the subject known as Coral had said that she would speak to Director Fury and Director Fury alone. And considering the potential outrage of the global community at finding out that there was perhaps _another_ Black Widow program, he felt it best to comply. So there he was, sitting in front of the girl of approximately 12 years, waiting for her to speak.

Except she wasn't.

She just sat there.

Staring him down.

"Judging from the way you reacted to my operatives' arrival at your base, I'm assuming you're the one who called us there."

Silence.

"You called us there, to rescue you and the other girls there, yet from Barton and Romanoff's report, you seemed to be capable of handling yourself," Fury continued.

Still silence.

Fury's frown deepened and he now moved to file on the table, opening it and displaying the pictures. "The scars the doctors have found, along with the bodies of three girls buried under your complex can tell us part of the why you sent it. But the drugged girl and the fact that you called us suggest there's more to the tale." He leaned forward now. "So tell me, why did you call for rescue?" She narrowed her eyes at him, but remained silent. He straightened back up.

"For someone who called for help, you don't seem very willing to talk… or to help us help you."

Another moment of silence and Fury considered just putting an end to this (not-exactly-an) interrogation, when she spoke up.

"I want a lawyer." He blinked.

"What?"

"I want a lawyer," she said. "Get me a lawyer and I'll tell you everything you need to know."

" _Need_?" She raised her chin.

"You have some questions and some resources. I have some answers and some needs. See to them and we'll both leave happy." She folded her hands in a manner that said she wouldn't say another word. Fury frowned again but swept out of the room, past a confused Maria Hill.

"Sir?"

"Call in Jennifer Walters. I'm done," Fury said, before storming off to fight the migraine brewing in his brain.

* * *

Five hours later, Fury was sitting at the metal table again, this time across from the girl and a tall, strong looking dark-haired woman. The girl slid a piece of paper across the desk, before leaning back in her chair, folding her arms, and staring the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. down.

"My conditions," she stated. Fury picked up the paper and started to scan it. "Essentially, the eighty-nine other conscious girls you found are to be placed in good homes where they will want for nothing. Give them the option of having their memories replaced so that they remember nothing, but do not force them to go through the procedure, which I know full well exists so don't try to deny it. Except for the girls found unconscious, they are to have their memories wiped before being relocated. The faction that held us did quite a number on them. Do what you like with the other Chimera operatives you captured, though I suggest you remove the cyanide pills embedded in their cheekbones before interrogating them. Meet these demands, and I'll tell you everything." Fury raised an eyebrow.

"Everything? Or just the stuff I need to know?" She shrugged.

"That depends on you and your organization. I want to know I can trust you first." She leaned back in her seat and folded her hands behind her head, feet propped up on the table in a deliberately careless manner.

Fury narrowed his one eye at her, before nodding to the lawyer, who nodded and followed him out of the room.

* * *

The door clicked. It looked as though she hadn't moved since he left the room. Purposefully, he wandered across the room, slowly sitting across the desk from the girl and sliding the now-signed piece of paper across the table. She tilted her chin up, expectantly. Fury folded his hands. "Almost all of the girls have opted to erase their memories and are in the process of being placed in new homes." The girl's shoulders relaxed and she suddenly looked much more like her twelve-years of age. Fury leaned forward, expectantly. "So here's your turn to give me a reason to trust you." She looked up at him and he leaned back in his seat. "Lay it out for me."


	9. Scars Fade

**A/N: Haha! Yes! The once a month may work out after all! Happy Agents of SHIELD day everyone and hope everyone enjoys/ed the premier! Next chapter will probably be out sometime in October.**

 **Actors of the Chapter:**

 **Leven Rambin**

 **Amandla Stenberg**

 **Ken Watanabe**

 **Plus the actors mentioned in previous chapters.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading and please review!**

Scars Fade

"They called themselves 'Chimera,' for the Eugenics they used to create a new world. A _better_ world. One without hunger or greed or suffering. And they planned to do it through us," she began. As though of its own accord, one hand reach behind her and began tracing the whipping scars on her back. "We were orphans. Little girls, all alone. Chimera gave us a 'home.' Eight _great_ houses. Twelve girls to a house. And in the end, the _most determined_ … the _most ambitious_ … the _most aggressive_ … _That_ girl would be the _Viper_. All it cost was everything."

* * *

A pair of brown eyes snapped open. Within seconds, the girl those eyes belonged to bolted up and was standing at the foot of her bed, wide awake, alongside her black haired, green eyed bunkmate and other 'sisters,' as their 'mother' stalked down the halls, riding crop in hand.

Her bunk was always immaculate.

Mother Night punished her anyway.

* * *

A soldier marched past a metal door. The moment he turned a corner, a length of green silk slipped from the ceiling, the same brown-eyed girl winding herself down it, the black haired, green eyed girl following her as well. The first girl promptly picked the lock, silently pulled open the door, and started throwing apples, bread, carrots, and anything else in the pantry up to the girl the ceiling, as the green-eyed girl checked around the corners to make sure the hall was clear.

When the sound of boots returned, the green-eyed girl motioned to her and the two of them wound themselves back up the silk into the ceiling, closing the vent hood just as the guard turned the corner.

* * *

It was almost funny, how easy it was for Coral to knock Sinthea down. No matter the advantage, Coral could win in the end, much to Sinthea and Mother Night's disdain. Not that they didn't try. Which was why Coral's entire upper body was chained up as Sinthea attempted to wrestle her to the ground.

"It doesn't matter how good you are," Sinthea hissed in her ear. "they'll never let someone like you become the Viper. Not a little ni-" Coral flipped Sinthea off of her and quickly pinned her down with minimal effort and a smirk.

As Sinthea cursed up a storm from underneath her, Coral looked back to find Ophelia looking at her with pleading eyes while nearly everyone else was smothering giggles as best as they could.

 _ **Bang!**_ went the sound of a cane pounding on the ground and everyone froze.

 _Click. Click. Click_ , went the heels of their 'mother.' The clicking stopped as she towered over Coral. But the girl faced the woman head on, smirking unabashed.

Mother Night dragged her from the room by the back of her uniform.

Worth it.

* * *

"You're going to get yourself killed," Ophelia spat at Coral, her harsh words contrasting with her gentle tending to her sister's wounds.

"Then I'll die," Coral said, hissing as the other girl finished stitching up a particularly nasty wound. Her friend's frown deepened.

"No. You won't. They'll break you. And then they'll remake you."

"Would it hurt less if I let them?" Coral joked as she hissed again.

"Maybe," Ophelia said. Coral stopped and attempted to look over her shoulder at her friend, who just looked at her sadly, before continuing with her work. "You can't save everyone." Coral smiled sadly.

"I can try."

* * *

"Coral! Green! Center of the ring!" Mother Night called.

The former closed her eyes tightly,

 _She's doing this to punish you,_ her look said.

 _Ya think?_ Coral shot back with a subtle roll of her eyes.

 _You're dead. You know that, right?_ Ophelia frowned as they both surveyed Coral's blonde opponent, five years older and six inches taller than her, approach the arena.

 _Who said anything about that?_ Coral shot back, before turning back her attention to the battle ahead.

Svetlana Green was one of Singen Yashida's prized pupils; an Enhanced Russian orphan who currently held the spot of "Most Likely to Become the Next Viper." Coral quickly began going through her rankings.

Intelligence: Normal.

Strength: Peak Human, possibly enhanced due to her augmented abilities.

Speed: Peak Human, possibly enhanced due to her augmented abilities.

Durability: Peak Human plus enhanced regenerative abilities, allowing her to shed her skin when wounded superficially.

Energy Projection: None, but she made up for that with Toxin immunity, Retractable Claws, and Venom that could be passed through saliva contact.

Fighting Skills: Master of several forms of combat, being the eldest of the Viper trainees.

In other words: Mother Night wanted her dead.

But Coral was never one to give her enemy what she wanted.

So the two of them bowed before their masters, before bowing to each other. The walls of the labyrinth rose as they assumed fighting stances. Coral kicked at Svetlana, dodged her two punches, caught the third punch, before kneeing her the stomach. But Svetlana quickly recovered. Svetlana tried to flip her onto her back but Coral cartwheeled out of the grip. The two girls got back into fighting stance.

"Why don't we make this more interesting?" Mother Night said from the spectators' booth, where Chimera's Commanders were congregated to see the fruits of the past decade of labors. She pressed a button, through a system of ancient looking ropes and pulleys hanging from the ceiling, walls were raised in the training arena, separating the two adversaries. "There are weapons in each of the corners of the complex. Find them… if you can." Coral immediately ran off in the opposite direction, eventually kicking her way up the walls and climbing the ropes and pulleys to get a bit of perspective. As she began to scan the arena for weapons, she noticed Svetlana Green wandering around as though taking a stroll in the park.

"You are doomed, little snake! Why not admit defeat?" Green taunted.

"Not my style," Coral said, throwing her voice to shake the girl's searching. That's when she saw the weapon she needed in the far corner: a sword. A Japanese Katana from the looks of it. She carefully crept her way over the walls toward it.

Svetlana chuckled, echoing off the walls in an unsettling manner. "You can't beat me; I've faced deadlier opponents in the training arenas of my youth!" Coral rolled her eyes.

"'Your youth?' Stop acting like you're so superior to us, you're five years older than me, not fifty," Coral said. Svetlana scoffed.

"Why do you suppose they chose you? Because you are strong? Or because you are weak?" Coral bristled but didn't rise to the bait. She was right above the sword; all she had to do was drop down back into the arena and get it. Taking one last look at Svetlana and seeing her continue to search the other side Labyrinth, Coral dropped down into the arena. "You're at a natural disadvantage, little girl. You are merely one of many Viper hatchlings, most of whom will not survive to adulthood." Coral quietly lifted the sword off the wall and unsheathed it with a _**schink!**_ Catching a glint of green in the blade. "But I _am_ a Viper." Coral's eyes widened, realizing her mistake barely in time to turn around and roll away from Svetlana's blow of poison, as well as a slash from her razor sharp nails. Coral dodged the poison, but was slashed across the shoulder by Svetlana's next blow.

Raising her sword, Coral sliced left, aiming to maim the other girl, only for Svetlana to sidestep right and grab the younger girl as she tried to swing at her again. She threw Coral into the wall and knocked the sword right out of her hand. They both managed to strike a blow across the others' face, before they both flipped away. They got into defensive stances again as Coral assessed the situation; Svetlana stood between her and her sword and the space they were in meant next to no room for her usual acrobatics. She looked around for an exit when she noticed a length of rope, dangling from the pulleys. Maybe…

Svetlana walked forward, Coral backing up, keeping her eyes on the rope and her opponent. "You have courage. Real courage," Svetlana admitted, walking forward, as Coral backed up, getting ready to run for the rope. "But that won't help much now." She spat poison again, but Coral somersaulted away, ran up the wall and grabbed the cord, before running straight at Svetlana, barely dodging another spit of poison, before jumping on her and wrapping it around her foe's neck, before being thrown off and pinned beneath Svetlana… right next to her sword. "Now… you die!"

"Today is not my day," Coral smiled. Svetlana lunged, looking ready to tear Coral's throat out with her teeth, only for Coral to cut the rope, sending the nearby walls tumbling down as the line was cut, leaving the rope around Svetlana's neck the only thing holding up the counterweight. Whether from the revelation or from the sudden yank on her neck, the Svetlana's green eyes bulged as she was dragged up. Coral cut the cable as quickly as she'd released it and Svetlana fell, her neck broken to the point of paralysis, but not quite to the point of death. Shaking, she sheathed her sword and bowed to the commanders, who just stared at her. Some of her younger sisters clapped, but were quickly silenced by the guards. After a moment, the commanders congregated, whispering amongst themselves, before descending the steps from the platform to the arena below.

"Finish her," Yashida commanded. Svetlana stopped trying to move, instead doing her best to catch her master's eye while sprawled face down on the floor. He didn't even glance at her, instead focusing on Coral, who was looking at her defeated opponent in shock. He frowned and turned to Mother Night who stepped forward.

" _Finish her_ ," Mother Night demanded, her voice more venomous than ever. Coral glanced down at her opponent, whose green eyes were now teeming with tears. She closed her eyes, clenched a fist, and breathed deeply, before staring defiantly back at the commanders.

"… No," she said. The Commanders looked between each other in shock while Mother Night bristled.

"What?" Mother Night asked.

"No. I'm not going to kill her. She's beaten. I have no reason to harm her anymore," Coral said.

"Mercy is not tolerated here-"

"Then kill me." There was a _**Schink!**_ of steel and suddenly the tip of Mother Night's cane sword was at Coral's throat.

"Oh, what I wouldn't give to be able to do that," she murmured, pressing the sword just enough to draw a line of blood. The sound of a throat being cleared came from behind them, and Mother Night looked back to find her fellow commanders staring at her pointedly. She exhaled and withdrew her blade. " _Unfortunately_ , I'm not allowed to cut off flack that still has _some_ potential," she sneered. "But by the time I'm through with you, you'll wish I had killed you." She nodded to the guards, who grabbed Coral and Svetlana, dragging them from the room.

The door closed behind them.

* * *

Svetlana wasn't even screaming anymore. She'd lost the energy to do so two days ago.

Her eyes were still red though. As were Coral's. As red as the still raw wounds from her whipping. She kneeled in front of the girl, pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, and whispered, "I'm so sorry."

Svetlana didn't even blink.

That didn't make the resulting _**crack!**_ any less resonant.

* * *

A week later, Ophelia went against Jordan. The fight was quick, and Jordan's death, even quicker.

Twelve bullets to the chest tend to do that.

* * *

"So, you killed her," Coral said, after the match, as she tended to her friend's wounds, few as there were. She kept her tone conversational but both of them knew they were close to the boiling point.

"Yep. Twelve bullets tend to do that to a person." Coral winced.

"Did you really need to use twelve bullets?"

"Did you really need to hold out for three days before killing Svetlana?" Ophelia said and Coral backed off.

"Fair enough… but… couldn't there have been a more merciful way to-"

"You dare speak to me of mercy?!" Ophelia said. Coral shut her mouth and her friend sighed. "I may kill people, but at least I don't let them suffer out of a misguided sense of justice." Coral looked away.

"I didn't know-"

"Would you have acted any differently if you'd known?" Coral looked at her friend, hurt by such a suggestion. Ophelia seemed to have realized she'd stepped too far, but still scowled at her friend before storming out, leaving Coral alone.

* * *

In the Third Week, Sinthea slaughtered Leona.

She took pleasure in drawing it out. Mother Night had never looked so proud.

Little Luna was next.

At four years old, she was the youngest, weakest, and though her intelligence outmatched everyone by leaps and bounds, the Commanders feared her free and rebellious spirit.

So they decided execution by arena would be the best course of action.

But it would never come to pass.

Coral would make certain of that.

* * *

Every action of the girls was monitored. They were locked in their room from lights out until roll call. They had no way of contacting the outside world and hundreds of feet of steel and concrete passageways, as well as dozens of guards, stood between the girls and the exit.

Even then, the Alps were always cold, and to climb them you needed the right clothes and gear.

But there are always gaps.

They had a computer lab. Where the girls learned how to hack and create viruses to bring down uncooperative governments.

So she got to work.

Creating the virus that would be her beacon.

Spreading the message amongst her most trusted sisters.

Then, on January 26 2010, as they finished their computer studies, she subtly uploaded it to and sent it on their instructor's computer while he was busy disciplining Susan in the corner. After class, she nodded to her sisters as they walked the halls back to their bunks.

She'd sent out the call.

Now all she had to do was wait and hope that someone was listening.

* * *

Coral looked up from her lap into the stoic face of Nicholas J. Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the man who had all the power she did not. Coral blinked the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath, before finishing: "Honestly, at this point, I don't care whether you kill me or put me in prison for the rest of my life. I just want to keep my sisters safe."

* * *

Fury surveyed the young woman through the glass. She hadn't moved since he left. She just stared into her hands like she kept expecting to see something change at any moment. He felt another presence join him in his surveyal.

"Permission to speak, sir?" Hill asked.

"Like you need it," Fury said.

"She's a security risk. We have no idea what kind of conditioning she's been put through. She could still have triggers that could be reactivated if she ever came across another Chimera agent."

"Widow was a far greater risk than her and look at how that ended up," Fury said.

"If I remember correctly, you were against Barton bringing her in… sir." He stepped up to the glass, and Hill followed him. "We know nothing about Chimera."

"Exactly; she's the best lead we have."

"You're also forgetting she's twelve, sir," Hill deadpanned.

"Not forgetting. Just focusing on the important parts first," Fury corrected her. Hill took a deep breath and looked at the child, wondering what exactly they could do with the young child soldier.

* * *

The door buzzed and Coral straightened up as both Nick Fury and Maria Hill entered the interrogation room. Fury sat down across the table, Hill standing to his right. The three surveyed each other a few seconds before Fury sighed and spoke.

"Here's how it works. I can't legally take you on as an Agent until you turn eighteen." Coral crumpled. "However-" she perked up again- "I can hire you as a mercenary, under S.H.I.E.L.D. contract. You would have limited clearance level, but you would have food, shelter, security, pay, and a chance to take down Chimera while insuring your sisters' safety yourself. What do you say?"

The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath. For a moment, Hill and Fury thought she was going to refuse, until she finally opened them, looking more relieved than she'd probably ever looked in her life. "Thank you," she said. Fury surveyed her for a moment before extending a hand, which she shook. But when he moved to let go, she held on and leaned forward, taking it with her other in a surprising display of dominance. "I still want Jennifer Walters to write up the contract though."

Maria actually had to stifle a smirk at that one.


	10. SHIELDed Sanctuary

**A/N: HEY! Long time no see! Sorry, I've just been busy prepping my doomsday bunker for the result of the November 2016 US presidential election.**

 **Anyway, nice long chapter for you guys! Hope to have the next one out by November 4th, but as it will probably also be long, no guarantees. No matter what, thank you guys for reading and hope you'll also follow, favorite, and review!**

SHIELDed Sanctuary

January 2010

Coral had had no idea of what to expect when she joined S.H.I.E.L.D..

But whatever her expectations had been, she hadn't expected them to be so _nice_.

She wouldn't say that to Fury of course, but seriously. It was unnerving how _**nice**_ these people were. Like the brunette lady with the batons who continued to smile even as Coral tried to beat her to a pulp on the mats. "Wow," she said as she flipped out of the choke hold like a kindergartener's cartwheel. "You got a lot of pent up aggression in there." Coral responded by socking her in the gut. "Anyone ever teach you to pull your punches?" she coughed, reeling back.

"Pull my what?" Coral asked.

"I guess that answers that." The other woman didn't get the chance to respond, getting knocked onto her back a second later. Coral stopped her fist an inch away from her opponent's nose. The woman smiled and held out her hand, which Coral took and helped her up with. "Bobbi Morse."

"Coral," she replied.

"I know who you are." Coral snorted.

"That's S.H.I.E.L.D. for you. People always know more about you than you do of them."

"It's not necessarily a bad thing," Bobbi said.

"Try being the surveyed and not the surveyor for once, see how _you_ like it," Coral said and Bobbi shrugged.

"Point taken. Two-out-of-Three?" Bobbi asked and Coral shrugged. Not like S.H.I.E.L.D. was going to let her do much else.

* * *

Weekly sparring sessions with Bobbi became a thing. A very informative thing in fact, as she learned a lot about S.H.I.E.L.D. and its personnel that she probably would otherwise would not have known.

"We shouldn't go in there," Bobbi said one day, a bunch of younger agents (and a few older ones) crowded around the glass, looking at something inside.

"Why?" Coral said, confused. Bobbi was always up for a brawl, why was she backing out now?

"The Cavalry's in there," she explained.

"The what?" Some of the agents looked at her like she'd grown a second head, but most were still staring into the training room like it was a portal to another dimension.

"Not what, who," Bobbi said, standing aside so Coral could look inside. It was empty apart from one older Chinese woman beating a punching bag for all it was worth. "Melinda May. Bahrain, 2008. She went in alone, saved a dozen guys, crossed off twenty enemy assassins with one pistol. She's legend." Coral's eyes shifted, before she began to move toward the door.

"What are you doing?" one of the agents asked as though she'd just gotten up in the middle of a sermon.

"She may be legend, but I'm _bored_. You guys can gawk all you want, but I want to work," she said.

"Hi. Is it ok?" Coral asked, gesturing to the room.

"I'm not stopping you," Agent May said. Coral nodded and set her stuff down. Agent May went back to her bag and Coral wrapped her hands and started working on her own. But as she began to practice, May started to watch her, eventually saying, "You need to keep pressure in the small of your back. It gives your punches more momentum, more force. Turn your hips more as you move as well." Coral blinked, but tried it and sent the bag swinging.

"Thanks," she said and May nodded back, going back to her beating. Coral hit the bag again.

* * *

She started having tea with May on Sundays. Not much talking involved, but _damn_ did the woman know how to brew a good cuppa.

* * *

February 2010

Coulson, of course, was the worst.

The only person she hadn't seen smile in his presence was Fury, who had probably lost the muscles that allowed him to do so along with his eye.

But what really made it bad was that he seemed to like her.

"Have you ever seen 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer?'" he asked one day as they were looking through Chimera files.

"What?" Coral asked.

"Thought so," Coulson nodded. "I think you'd like it. It's about a teenage girl who is the Chosen One, the only one who can fight the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness."

"I repeat, what?" she said, looking at him like he'd just told her the Norse Gods were actually aliens.

"It's a TV show. You know what a TV show i-"

"Yes, I know what TV is. I just don't understand what it has to do with me."

"Well, I thought it'd be something to pass the time with. Something fun." Coral stared at him for a moment, before shaking her head and getting back to work. There were a few moments of silence, before he spoke again. "What about a name?"

"What?" she asked again.

"Do you have a full name?"

"Coral?" she said hesitantly.

"Beyond that. Like a Middle and a Last name."

"I don't… think so?" He nodded again.

"I'll start brainstorming. Agent Coral doesn't have much of a ring to it."

"You do that."

* * *

Coulson started playing Buffy while they looked through files. Coral got so distracted Fury made them turn it off during work hours. Tuesday nights became Buffy nights.

And Coral learned to like him back.

Because the funniest thing was that he meant everything he said.

Coral wasn't sure she'd ever met anyone like him before.

An Honest Man in a Dishonest line of work.

* * *

March 2010

Hawkeye flipped and slid through the training course, knocking back projectiles back with an array of swords, knives, nunchucks, and staffs strapped to his person. He swung, ducked, struck, and somersaulted his way over and through the obstacles, until he finally made it to the arena at the end, where a bow, quiver, and blindfold. were set. He quickly picked the bow and quiver, and shot a dozen targets as they were illuminated. He then covered his eyes with the blindfold and split those same arrows. A low whistle echoed through the room, and he untied the blindfold to see Coral standing there, apparently impressed. "How do you do that? The ones where you don't even look," she asked, surveying his handiwork.

"Physics. And practice." Coral groaned in a sarcastic way that surprised the archer; when he'd met her, she literally hadn't known the meaning of the word.

"It always comes down to practice," she said, leaning next to a target and playing with the deeply embedded arrow. "Though I've heard teaching someone how to do something is also a good way to improve your own abilities with said talent." Hawkeye cocked an eyebrow.

"Is that your way of asking me to teach you?" he asked and she shrugged in a way that was probably meant to be nonchalant. "Why do you want to learn?"

"Curiosity, boredom, and the need to increase the diversity of my fighting skills," she listed off. Her cheeks reddened as she added, "Plus Coulson just got me into the Hunger Games."

"Ah," Clint nodded. He looked her over; she had changed over the course of a few months. She seemed almost… shy. Very different from the defective killing machine he and Widow had 'rescued' from the Alps. So he straightened up and said, "Alright then, first thing's first. Get your own bow because you will _not_ be touching mine."

* * *

April 2010

The Triskelion was always filled with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, but in the dead of night, the halls were a little more empty and the offices were a bit darker. So it made sense for Coral to hack S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance systems at two in the morning, her computer plugged into the wall by a couple of choice wires. It took a bit of digging but soon enough, she found the live feed footage of the home of "Meriem Drew," formerly Ophelia Sarkissian. She was currently sleeping in a bed that somehow stayed immaculate no matter how she tossed and turned. Coral smiled; some things never changed.

"You know, I'm sure Coulson would be happy to let you know how she's doing," a voice rang out from somewhere and Coral drew her gun on where she'd heard the voice. "Or maybe it's not just Coulson you're hiding from." Ventriloquism. Which probably meant… Coral turned and found the Black Widow looking down at her. Coral lowered her weapon and sighed.

"I know I did the right thing in getting her away from them."

"But…" the Widow prodded. Coral frowned.

"I just keep thinking about how she looked at me the last time I saw her." Natasha nodded and gestured to the seat next to her. Coral nodded back and Nat sat down, both of the assassins placing their guns on the table.

"As someone who went through the same thing, let me tell you, it's not easy. I can't even remember how many times I tried to escape after S.H.I.E.L.D. captured me. And here I am, one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best operatives. Willingly too."

"But…" Coral prodded. Natasha looked at her sadly.

"She has to make the choice herself. That's the only way for her to really change for the better." Coral's brow furrowed and she looked at the fellow assassin oddly.

"Was that last bit a line from Wicked?"

"You know Wicked?" Natasha asked.

"Love it. Idina Menzel may be a bit overrated, but she's still fantastic."

"True. The book was better though. More morally ambiguous but still better."

"Haven't read it."

"I'm not sure Coulson would want you to read it." Coral cocked an eyebrow.

"I kill people for a living and he's worried about a book?"

"It's the American way," Natasha nodded. The two stared at each other for a moment before cracking up. Normal people were so weird. "Well I can tell neither of us are getting any sleep tonight so how's about you try and defeat the infamous Black Widow," Natasha said.

"Aren't you worried about breaking a hip, old lady?" Coral smirked.

"Oh, _now_ it's on," Natasha said, following the younger woman as she practically skipped toward the ring.

* * *

Twelve hours and fifty-two rounds later, Fury made Coulson drag Coral out of the ring, though she maintains to this day that Natasha cheated every time.

* * *

May 2010

"Hey, Coulson! I think I figured out my last name!" Coral said, hurrying up to and walking next to him as he readied to give Fury a report on the Stark Situation. She handed him a notebook full of scribbles and doodles and he looked at a bolded and circled word. " **King**. I am Coral King."

"Interesting. How'd you come up with it?" he asked.

"Ever heard of a King Snake?" Coral asked.

"Yeah?"

"Well King snakes have similar coloring to Coral Snakes. But they aren't venomous like Coral Snakes; they actually eat other snakes, even the venomous ones."

"So you're half venomous snake, half non-venomous snake?" Coulson asked.

"Yep!" Coral said, very pleased with herself.

Coulson considered it for a moment, before he too declared, "I like it!" Coral beamed. "Speaking of which, I came up with a few middle names for you," he said, digging in his briefcase to hand her a notebook similar to hers. She read the names he had circled.

"Stevie, Jaime, and Peggy?" Coulson smiled and nodded, apparently proud of himself. She closed the folder and raised an eyebrow at him. "None of these names would have _anything_ to do with your obsession with Captain America by any chance, would they?"

"I plead the Fifth," Coulson said. Coral chuckled but shook her head and handed the file back to him.

"They're nice, but get me a name that's not one of a Forties Superhero." Coulson rounded on her, looking comically crushed.

"What's wrong with Forties Superheroes?" he cried.

"Nothing! I just want a name I can live up to." Coulson's eyebrows scrunched in confusion and Coral sighed. "Being named after a superhero puts a burden on me to make them proud, do their name justice. But I'm not sure I can do that. I just… want to be me. Normal but good."

"I get it. Normal but good name. I'll find it for you," he said as they came upon the Director's office.

"You might wanna hurry, I heard there's a competition. May's leading with her suggestion of Mulan!" Coral said as they parted ways and hurried off down the hall.

* * *

June 2010

"You know, getting Agents their coffee is way below your pay grade," Agent Hill said as Coral dropped off her order.

"Considering Poor Carlos quit because you chucked a metal tissue box at his head, I felt it best to provide a barrier," Coral said. "Plus, if you do start throwing things at me, I have a statistically better chance at catching, deflecting, or avoiding the object."

"He was an hour late with my order," Hill stated, as though that was a perfectly acceptable reason to attack a person.

"You use that excuse with HR, they're gonna kill you," Coral advised.

"It'd still be better than that crap he tried to make me drink," Hill said.

"Since when have you been picky about coffee?"

"When did you get nosey?"

"Would you prefer I spy on you outright?" Coral said. "At least then I could confirm that you're going on your third day at the office."

"When's the last time you left HQ for non-work reasons?" Hill asked. Coral quirked an eyebrow at her superior. "That's what I thought," Hill said, far too smug for having barely won an argument with a twelve-year-old.

Coral rolled her eyes and grabbed a few files off of the desk before heading out. "Go home before I break every coffeemaker in a five mile radius," she called over her shoulder as she went.

"Yes ma'am," Hill murmured sarcastically under her breath.

* * *

Two hours later, Hill was in her own bed, either sleeping or still under the effects of the knockout drug Coral had put in her coffee. Either way, mission accomplished.

* * *

July 2010

"These are the blueprints for all of Chimera's known bases. We can't let them know we have this intel so we'll have to act quickly," Victoria spoke to the assembled agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. who would be members of the Strike Teams to take down Chimera. "I suggest simultaneous attacks on each of these bases so that they don't have time to relocate." A hand shot up, and Victoria Hand started at its presence in her briefing. "Yes?" she grit out.

"What about the back way?" Coral asked.

"Pardon?" Hand asked condescendingly. Coral powered on.

"There's a backway out of every Chimera base to evacuate high level officers in case of emergencies. They're kept off of the blueprints to prevent the enemy from knowing about them," Coral explained. "I agree with the simultaneous attacks, but chances are, they already know you're coming for them. They're setting up a trap. But don't just walk into it. Set up one of your own."

"Thank you, Miss King," Hand said venomously and Coral deflated and attempted to blend back into the crowd; a lifetime in Chimera wasn't as hostile as this. Agent Hand finished her briefing, taking into account the added intel and dismissed them all to prepare for the strike. Coral hesitantly wandered up to her, not wanting to get snapped at again but also not wanting her first field mission to be a complete disaster because she didn't trust (or even like) her teammates.

"Agent Hand, I was wondering if I could be paired with Black Widow and Hawkeye this mission? We work well together and I'd like to work with them in the field more," she said.

"I wouldn't suggest that. It's because they work well as a team that I don't want a rookie messing them up," Hand said, not even looking up from the schematics. Coral blinked and took a deep breath.

"I wouldn't call myself a rookie-"

"That's what you are though. You may be on S.H.I.E.L.D. payroll, but you've got the clearance level of a student at the Academy. And you'll be on my strike team, so don't think about sneaking onto their craft," Hand said. "Dismissed." Coral saluted and left.

Well that could've gone better.

* * *

Apparently same went for the mission.

It started out well enough; one half of the team watched the back exit while the other half (the half including Hand and Coral) infiltrated the base. But then Hand called out a reminder about the possibility of them hiding in the rafters a moment too late. They were surrounded by heavily armed Chimera agents. The agents leveled their weapons on the troopers but Hand put her hand on Agent Hartley's gun and pointed it down, stepping forward to face the apparent Captain of the Troopers.

"My name is Victoria Hand. On behalf of the assembled agents of S.H.I.E.L.D… we surrender," she said. The leader nodded and Hand and the other agents threw down their weapons and put their hands behind their heads as they kneeled. But upon catching Hand's eye, Coral remained standing.

"On your knees, S.H.I.E.L.D. scum," a S.W.A.T. gear clad Chimera trooper ordered.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Captain," ordered a German accented feminine voice, and all of the troopers kneeled as Mother Night slithered into the room. "She never listens to anyone she ought to." Coral smirked, even as Mother Night unsheathed her sword and held it to her former student's throat. "I've been waiting for this," she murmured.

"Funny - so have I."

 _ **Schink!**_

Coral drew a short sword from seemingly out of nowhere, slicing at Mother Night with it. A staff expanded in Hand's hand, which she hit on the floor. A burst of energy emitted from the top, over the kneeling S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, blowing all the hostiles back and giving the Agents the time they needed to pick up their weapons and push back.

Meanwhile, Coral slashed, lunged, and swiped at Mother Night, but none of her hits could get through the woman's defenses. And Coral guessed that had been her plan, because the moment Coral's exhaustion caused a slip-up, she sliced Coral across the arm and struck her to the floor.

"Face it child, you can never beat me," Mother Night simpered, holding her sword point at Coral's neck.

 _ **Bang!**_

Mother Night cursed as Hand's bullet went through her hand, forcing her to drop her sword. She then noticed that all her men were neutralized and she was surrounded on all sides. Nevertheless, she stood proud as she stabbed her sword into the ground and raised her hands above her head.

"What the hell is this?" Rumlow asked, surveying the older woman.

"Brock. Shut up for one second, please - We just caught Mother Night," Agent Hand said. She motioned to a group of Agents, who quickly restrained and escorted Mother Night out. Hand surveyed her handiwork as reports came in from other teams that their respective Chimera base had been neutralized; Not bad for a day's work.

"It's not over," Coral winced, picking at her wound, before binding it with her new orange cloth belt, looking around the base as she did so. "It's never this easy."

"Maybe it is just this once," Rumlow said. Coral shook her head and turned her gaze up and put on her night vision sunglasses. There was something in the balcony. A figure… aiming something long at-

 _ **BANG!**_

"GAH!" the sniper cried as Coral shot him. He slipped and fell to the floor below, right in front of Coral, Hand, and Rumlow, dead. The agents looked between the sniper and where he'd fallen from as Coral re-holstered her weapon with shaking hands, putting together that the sniper had probably been aiming at Hand.

"Good shot," she said.

"Thanks," Coral replied. They looked at each other before Hand moved to speak with Rumlow.

"That's about as much of a 'thank you' as you'll be getting from her," Isabelle Hartley said to Coral as she passed.

"You never seem to mind that much," Victoria responded with the closest thing to a smile she could probably manage. A smile tugged at Coral's lips too, but it failed to take hold as she looked at the broken body that had been a person moments ago. "Coming, Agent?" Victoria called back as the other agents began to search the premises.

"Yeah, sorry. It's just… he's my second kill," Coral said. Hand seemed to understand the significance of that. "Will he be given a proper funeral?" Coral asked.

"I'm sure that can be arranged," Hand said. Coral nodded.

"Thank you."

Another moment of silence followed, before Hand walked out and Coral joined her, glancing back at the body she left behind.

* * *

August 2010

"Tony Stark may be a genius but his ego makes him an imbecile," Fury said as Coral dropped off his nine o'clock coffee.

"Would it help if I took him out for you?" Fury gives her the famous one eyed concerned look he usually reserves for her when she says things that sound more assassin-y than usual. "Kidding," she assures him. "Though if you _do_ need me to-"

"No. He's a pain in the ass but that's all. For now at least. Besides, his father founded S.H.I.E.L.D. and I doubt assassinating him would go over well with the World Security Council or Agent Carter."

"Do I want to know how Sharon knows Tony Stark?"

"Other Carter."

"… Oh." It goes unspoken that even though Peggy Carter is suffering from Alzheimer's and is pushing a hundred, she could and _would_ kick the ass of anyone affiliated with _her_ organization who tried to destroy Howard Stark's greatest gift to the world. "Anything I can do then?"  
"Not much. General Ross might be closing in on Banner but won't let us anywhere near the situation."

"How bad was he?" Coral asked.

"He called us 'a bunch of flower child yippie pacifists' when it came to men like Banner." She frowned.

"Does he know us at _all_?" Fury just shook his head, looking like he might explode if he focused on it much longer. Coral pursed her lips. "What if you sent in someone who _technically_ wasn't a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?"

"No."

"Hear me out-"

"No. Even if the Hulk didn't kill you, you're not a citizen of the United States or anywhere really, meaning if Ross caught you, he could hold you indefinitely and maybe even slap a child endangerment case on S.H.I.E.L.D."

"I'm not saying I go in guns ablaze, just a bit of recon, maybe lend Banner a hand where need be."

"Why are you so intent on being given his case?" She shrugged.

"I know what it's like to be alone. And to have the whole world against you." Fury frowned but nodded in understanding.

"Still, can't take the risk."

* * *

September 2010

Fall had come early to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The leaves were already changing and falling, littering the path Phil Coulson and Coral King walked as they came upon the graves of Robert and Julie Coulson, both end dates the same, apart from being twenty years apart.

"Mom always wanted grandkids," Coulson said, after a moment of silence. "But I was barely in my thirties when she died and with S.H.I.E.L.D. and everything, I couldn't get around to it in time. Still probably won't actually." Coral looked between him and the graves, before putting her hand in his and leaning on his shoulder.

"Coulson, what's your middle name?" Coral asked.

"James," he answered automatically. "Why?" Coral kneeled next to Julie Coulson's headstone.

"Was she… _Julie_ … a good woman?" she asked.

"The best," he said. Coral smiled sadly and took a piece of paper from her bag, before she placed and traced it over Julie Coulson's name.

"That's it. I think I've got it," she said, presenting it to Coulson.

"Coral Julie King," he read aloud, before turning to Coral. He stared at her for a moment, before throwing an arm over her shoulders, kissing her forehead, and handing the paper back. "I love it."

Coral nodded. "More importantly, _I_ love it. And no one can take it from me."

The two orphans stood there for a moment more, having finally found family again.

* * *

October 2010

Coral was making her usual late night coffee rounds when she came upon the Director's locked door. Odd. He knew she was coming around soon. Still, she had a key card, so she quickly buzzed herself in and came upon the sounds of arguing emanating from the Director's office.

"-tell her?!" Coulson's voice rang out.

"No, not until we know all the facts," Fury said.

"But if Chimera-" Nat said.

"We don't even know for sure it was them-" Maria said.

"Oh, bullshit, Hill, who else would be able to kidnap a teenage assassin-" Clint said.

"An assassin who has no memory of who she is," Fury reminded them.

"It was the Schmidt girl, wasn't it?" Nat said. "Coral said she was the daughter of their founder. If they were going to go after one of them, it'd be her."

 _ **CRASH!**_

The collected agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. turned at the sound of breaking ceramic as Coral stared at them in horror. "They took Sinthea?" she asked and Fury came to his senses first.

"How much did you-"

"Talk later. They took the psycho red-head girl?" Coral said. Fury went to shout more, but Clint beat him to the punch.

"Yeah, what-"

"They're gonna go for Ophelia next," Coral said.

"How do you know?" Maria asked.

"Ophelia was Mother Night's second favorite. Wanna guess who her first one was?" Coral said. The phone started to ring and Fury checked the ID.

"It's Rumlow. I put him in charge of watching over them," Fury said. He answered it. "Rumlow, we have a lead. The Ophelia girl- wait, what - you mean - she's already been taken?!"

 _No._

Coral started to collapse, Nat and Coulson attempting to catch her as she fell, but she shrugged them off and rounded on Fury, who'd just hung up on Rumlow. "You promised me they'd be safe. You _promised_ me!" He scowled but didn't try to defend himself. Coral exhaled angrily through her nose, folded her arms, and straightened up, like the teenage weapon who had negotiated with Fury all those months ago.

"Put me on the case," she demanded.

"King, no-"

"You've got your hands full with Stark and his fallout," she said. "Give me one month to find them; if I fail, I will never ask you for another mission." There was a certain air of " _or else"_ to the statement. He turned to Coulson, who just shrugged in a non-apologetic manner.

"She knows them better than anyone. She might be able to find a pattern we can't," he said. Fury turned to Nat and Clint, but they stood with Coulson. Even Hill seemed to agree. So he huffed and rounded on the girl.

"Two weeks," Fury said and Coral nodded, before hurrying out.

She had sisters to save.

* * *

November 2010

Chimera Alps Establishment "The Viper's Nest"

 _ **BANG! B-B-BANG BANG BANG!**_

 _ **RATATATATATATATA!**_

Coral slammed herself against the concrete wall to avoid the oncoming spray of bullets. She looked across the hall, to where Black Widow and Hawkeye were also pinned. Hawkeye took out an object similar to a grenade and gestured to his ears. Coral winced but nodded, taking out some earplugs and stuffing them in her own ears. Widow did the same. Hawkeye then turned off his hearing aids, activated the device, and threw it into the fray. The device let out a deafening screech, which the Chimera soldiers couldn't help but try to shield their ears from. This gave the trio enough time to proceed down the hall, subdue them, and continue on, shooting the device to turn it off in the process.

They pressed on through the halls, passing laboratories and a control room, all of which were still ruined by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s first storming of the base. Finally the narrow hallway opened up to a space with vaulted ceilings that went up into darkness and three passages to choose from. They looked to each other and nodded, splitting up, one down each hall. Taking out their flashlights, they kicked the doors open to training rooms, laboratories, operating rooms, and torture chambers, all of which. But finally, Coral kicked open the final door in her hall, to find Sinthea and Ophelia, strapped to some combination of chair and dolly/hand truck. Everything in Coral screamed at her to go to them, help them, release them, but she restrained herself; something wasn't right. "I found them," she said into her radio, and moments later, Hawkeye and Black Widow were by her side, helping her secure the room and survey the girls. Black Widow brought out a compact scanner as Coral came closer to her sisters, not touching but scrutinizing their wounds.

"Hey guys, we caught a couple of deserters trying to sneak out the back way," Rumlow said over the com. He was head of the Strike Team they'd brought to keep both exits secure incase things went south.  
"We found them," Widow said. Coral frowned.

"Why would they leave without them?" she murmured. Hawkeye and Black Widow looked to her. "These girls are the pride of Chimera, the culmination of years of research, experimentation, and tampering with Eugenics. The ones who guarded them were likely the most loyal Chimera has. So, why would they leave them?" Coral asked.

"Maybe Chimera's running out of guys," Hawkeye suggested. Coral nodded but didn't seem convinced.

"Scanners not showing any traces of explosives, poisons, or general harmful materials," Widow said. Coral immediately began working on Ophelia's bonds and Hawkeye set to work on Sinthea's, as Widow checked in with their teams, requesting a medical evac. Coral finished opening the restraints that kept her sister in the chair and gently brushed her bruised cheek. _What had they_ done _to her?_ Ophelia's eyes snapped open, red-rimmed and burning like the Door to Hell. _Uh-oh._

Ophelia threw herself from the contraption and wrapped her hands around Coral's neck, landing on top of her. Hawkeye and Black Widow went to pull her off of their friend when Sinthea snapped awake and lunged at them, near rabid with hate.

"Do you at least recognize me?" Coral choked punched her across the face. "I'll take that as a yes." Ophelia moved to hit her again, but Coral crossed her ankles in an X over Ophelia's throat and forced her off of her, slamming her to the ground. Both got to their feet and grappled, Coral just trying to stay alive. The door banged open and the S.H.I.E.L.D. Strike Team filtered in, just as Widow knocked Sinthea to the ground.

"Don't shoot!" Coral shouted as the agents leveled their weapons on her sister. Ophelia took Coral's distraction, socking her across the face, only get pinned to the wall by a couple of Hawkeye's arrows.

"You did this to us! You did- You did this!" Ophelia screamed at the top of her lungs, as the agents held her still to stick a sedative in her neck. She jerked free enough to send the needle crashing to the ground, so an agent struck her across the face with his rifle, knocking her unconscious.

"NO!" Coral cried.

"It's okay kid. We got 'em back," Rumlow said, patting her on the back. She shrugged him off and watched as they secured her sisters to stretchers.

She knew the truth.

She was never going to get them back.

* * *

December 2010

Coral gazed through the two-way glass, into the observation room below, where Sinthea Schmidt and Ophelia Sarkissian sat on cots, restrained in straitjackets as doctors scanned and surveyed them. Footsteps echoed up the hall and a person walked up behind Coral.

"The Doctors have finished their evaluation," Coulson said.

"And?" Coral asked, not taking her eyes off of the two girls in the room below.

"… They're back to the way they used to be. Only now, they've had some kind of chip put into their brains that makes memory-modification impossible. Any attempts to remove the chip trigger the release of a neurotoxin which would kill them in three seconds flat," Coulson reported.

"So no Tabula-Rasa this time?" she said.

"No Tabula-Rasa," he confirmed and he saw her shoulders droop the slightest amount. He went to stand beside her as she watched over her sisters. "Fury's suggested putting them in the Asylum." She glanced at him and he continued. "It's a safe place for unique people who haven't done anything wrong but need a safe place to recover or learn how to control their abilities."

"Padded cell at the bottom of a hole," she murmured. Coulson didn't reply. She closed her eyes and sighed. "They'll never forgive me if I put them there." She reopened them and pressed her fingertips to the glass, right where the two girls sat. The hand on the glass slowly turned to a fist. "But sometimes it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission. And I won't lose them to Chimera. Not again." She turned to Coulson. "Tell Fury they're all his. But if I find out they're being mistreated - and I _will_ know if they are - then he'll have me to deal with." He nodded and, casting one last look at her sisters, she walked away. Coulson glanced down into the room, before following her. If there was ever a time that required Buffy and Ice Cream, it was tonight.

* * *

27 January 2010

S.H.I.E.L.D. Training Room

Coral kneeled in the middle of the mats, surrounded by weapons of all types. Slowly, a light blinked red, then yellow. When it turned green, a dummy popped-up from the floor and Coral quickly embedded a knife in its throat. Another popped up to get a bullet to the eye, the next one an arrow to the gut, next a lasso around the neck, and finished with beheading by a sword. Coral stood, chest heaving from the exertion. It wasn't enough. It was never enough. She moved to the control panel to dial up the speed, only to find that it wouldn't go any higher without Upper Level Authorization. She huffed and opened the inside, hoping to hotwire the damn thing.

"Hey, Coral, we think there's something you should see," Coulson said from the doorway.

"Be right out," she said, quickly picking up a towel to clean herself up on the way. She followed him through the relatively empty halls of HQ. He then led her into a darkened and presumably empty office. "Who turned out the lights?" Coral asked. The lights flicked on, obviously on cue, and it was a testament to how much Coral's trust in these people had grown that she didn't immediately draw her weapon. Instead, she stood in shock as she took in the sight of Bobbi Morse, Melinda May, Maria Hill, Natasha Romanoff, and Clint Barton, standing together a cake in-between all of them.

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Coral! Happy Birthday to you!" they all sang, very out of tune and not at all together, yet it was music to her ears. She covered her mouth with her hands to hide her gaping expression as her fellow agents and friends clapped and cheered for her. Coulson threw an arm around her and rubbed his hand up and down her arm in a reassuring gesture.

"What-" she started but couldn't get any farther than that.

"You had a name. We figured it'd only be right that you have a birthday as well," Coulson said. At that, May handed him a document, which he then passed off to Coral. It was a birth certificate, only instead of a country or state, it had the S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia, along with her first, last, and middle names.

"We thought you might want it to be today, since this is the day you were freed from Chimera," Coulson explained as Coral held in in a trembling grasp. "If you want, we can change the date-"

"No," she said. "It's perfect." She blinked rapidly and straightened up. "Alright then. Who wants cake!" A cheer echoed through the room and the sound of clinking glasses and laughter filled the space for the rest of the night.

Just because Coral had lost one family for good, didn't mean she would never have one again.


	11. The Big Week

**A/N: ... 2016 was an _awful_ year. I'm sorry for being MIA these past few months, but I have been hit by... pretty much everything. I hope to have the next chapter out by January 27th, but considering the last time I said that I didn't update for two months, I make no promises. Also, this chapter has not been BETA read because I wanted to get it out to you guys quick so please, feel free to review with any spelling, grammatical, or continuity errors you find. Or just review in general. ^_^ Anyway, thank you guys so much for reading and hope you enjoy!**

 **R.I.P. Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds; Thank you for everything.**

The Big Week

31 May 2011

"Stark situation not going well?" Coral asked, somewhere between amused and concerned as she watched the Director pour part of his personal flask into the cup of coffee she'd just placed in front of him.

"How can you tell?" Fury said.

"He's the only reason you ever put Natasha's imported Russian vodka in your coffee this early. Everything else is either not annoying enough, or something you need to be completely sober for," Coral said. Fury sighed and nodded, pulling a video up on his computer.

"First the Stark Expo and signing over his company to his PA, then Vanko and the Monaco Race, now this?" he asked, showing her the footage from Stark's birthday party.

"Yow," Coral winced. "Romanoff get you that?" Fury nodded.

"If he weren't already dying, I'd kill him. Bad enough Ross is closing in on Banner and the World Security Council is freaking out over the energy surge in New Mexico. Seriously, why the fuck did it have to be New Mexico?"

"Because the United States is so self-centered that while believing itself to be the center of the Universe, it somehow actually managed to at least become the center of most international incidents?"

"Rhetorical question, King."

"Just trying to provide answers, Director. You seem to be in desperate need of them as of late," she said, picking up some files to hand off to Hill.

"Speaking of answers, I want you, Barton, and Coulson headed out to New Mexico to get them once he's finished with Stark."

"I guess that means the Council was not very receptive to my suggestion of sending me to trail Banner?" she asked and he gave her his patented Furious Glare. "Sorry for trying to help. It's not like I ever get assigned anywhere _interesting_ anyway."

"If that energy surge was any indication, this might be the exception," Fury said, taking a deep drink as she headed out.

* * *

Coral sighed as she waited for Coulson to finish up with Stark, looking around the far too big house. She could be patient and wait like a good little agent, she considered, when her eyes came upon a port. Or… she could make Nat and Clint proud by messing with Tony Stark.

Was it even a question what she chose?

"Miss, I'm afraid you're not allowed to access my mainframe," chimed the voice of "Just A Rather Very Intelligent System" a.k.a. J.A.R.V.I.S. as she plugged her tablet into the wall.

"It's Ms. if you please. And Tony Stark is not the boss of me," she said.

"I'm afraid I must inform him-"

"Mute. And I'll be sure erase any and all memory of this when I'm done so he can't hold you accountable," she said as she manually overrode his protocols. She started combing through Stark Industries and Stark's own files, making sure he truly had turned over the new leaf he said he had and didn't have any other weapons in the works. He was clean. But there was something else that shouldn't be there.

"Well, lookie here. J.A.R.V.I.S., can you- sorry, unmute, J.A.R.V.I.S., do you see this?" she asked.

"It looks like-" the AI said, before trailing off.

"Someone else had my idea and has infiltrated your systems, only they're trying to steal from Stark and company. And look where it came from."

"Hammer Tech," J.A.R.V.I.S. asked with about as much contempt as his British, AI stoicism could muster.

"I'll just take care of this for you," Coral said, slamming down firewalls on the attacker like a bratty brother's fingers in their angry older sibling's door. "You can let Stark know if you want, tell him you handled it, but he needs to up his security if he doesn't want another one of these in there."

"I'll inform him of that," J.A.R.V.I.S. agreed and Coral wiped all memory of her from the security, but being careful to leave the knowledge of Hammer Tech's excursion into Stark-infested waters.

"Ready to go?" Coulson asked.

"Yep," Coral said, unplugging the pad from the wall and putting it back in her pack.

Coulson looked between her and the wall for a moment before he asked, "Do I want to know?"

"Probably not," she said, heading out to the truck, Coulson shaking his head after her.

* * *

1 June 2010

A S.H.I.E.L.D. van pulled to a stop at the top of a crater in the New Mexico desert. Coulson climbed out, peered down at the boisterous gathering below, his eyes fixed on the object at the center of the crater, before pulling out a phone. "Sir - we've found it."

"Whatever 'it' is," Coral said through a mouthful of chocolate Donettes as Coulson received orders and hung up.

"That _is_ the definition of an 084," Coulson said. "I'll start dispersing the crowd. You call in backup, start getting the base setup."

"Roger that," Coral said, ducking back into the van and grabbing her radio. "Echo Five to Echo Seven, Hawkeye, buddy, we need you to bring in the rest."

"Morning to you too, Sunshine," Hawkeye grumbled over the com.

"Come on, Barton, I thought the early bird caught the worm!" Coral said as she started to research the town for anything that might be useful.

"Yeah, well some birds of prey hunt better at night. Or at least better when not having to sleep on a Red Eye flight."

"I slept in the car, you'll get no sympathy from me. Now what's your ETA?"

"An hour at most. We can gun it and be there in forty-five minutes if you like?"

"Then I'll see you in half an hour. Oh, and have a squad ready to move out, I think I've found something that'll be of interest," she said, looking over the file of an astrophysicist that happened to be studying the area.

* * *

"Tony Stark must've really gotten to you; you're usually a bit nicer than that," Coral said as Coulson handed her the journal that contained the last of Dr. Jane Foster's research.

"Time is of the essence. It's an object of unknown origin and we need to know it's origin as fast as we can," Coulson said.

"Still technically stealing though," she singsonged, paging through the journal.

"Appropriating," Coulson corrected, before stopping and asking, "Does that bother you?"

"Maybe," she admitted and Coulson looked at her like, ' _Continue_.' "I know we save lives, but this stuff was _Dr. Foster_ 's life. If we brought her and her intel into the fold, then we'd probably get more insight."

"The Council would see it as a security risk," Coulson said.

"The Council sees everything as a security risk. They got secrets coming out of their-" cue stern look from Coulson, "ears." Coulson rolled his eyes but let it slide.

"Such is the nature of our work," said Coulson, looking through a file of Foster's research. "I know it's hard to balance morality with necessity, but it will all work out in the end." She nodded reluctantly and he smiled sadly. "You know, you could always ask Fury for some time-"

"Not on your life, Coulson."

* * *

By nightfall, the base had been set up around the crater: vehicles, trailers, barricades, and armed guards manning a gate in the razor wire fence that ran fifty yards from the crater's edge, enclosing the complex. Clear, plastic access tubes with junction boxes lead to a translucent cube structure erected in the middle of the crater. Through the glass walls of the base's command trailer, Coulson directed technicians, busy at work. Within the cube structure itself, a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists work with high-tech machinery, analyzing the 084. Meanwhile, Clint Barton and Coral King did the only thing they could do when confined to the armory to be on-call at any time: learn how to yo-yo.

"I'm never gonna get this," Coral said as her yo-yo once again becomes less of a yo-yo and more of a spinning wheel of death.

"You'll get better. Can't be much more difficult than those lassos you use," Clint said.

"I don't know about that," she said as she tried to get it to bounce back up to her, only for it to stop halfway and fall into the wheel of death again. "Those are literally second nature." Clint pursed his lips.

"Well maybe you should push them back to third. I mean, come on, when's the last time you did civilian stuff? And watching Buffy in the rec room doesn't count. I mean, when did you last interact with civilians on your own time?" he asked. She opened her mouth and then closed it.

"Does getting Maria coffee off-base count?" she asked. Clint gave her a look. "I know, I know. But, I don't exactly know how to talk to people my own age. I mean, what do they like?"

"Living wages, technology, and honesty, from what I gather," he said.

"Well I got two of the three down," Coral said. "The third is a bit of a problem. I mean, what would I say, 'Hi, I'm Coral King, teenage Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., wanna grab some Starbucks?'" Clint shrugged as he started to swing his yo-yo around like a pro.

"Maybe just leave out the 'teenage Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.' stuff and you've got it." Coral didn't look convinced, so Barton stopped, rolled up his yo-yo, and held her shoulders. "Being young is hard, I know. But if you don't try to have a childhood, you'll go the rest of your life wishing you had." She sighed, but nodded and he smiled. "Good. Now let's do the Time Warp again."

Suddenly, alarms blared and Coulson's voice ordered, "I want eyes up high. With a gun. Now!"

Barton quickly picked up his bow, slung it over his shoulder, and headed out. "Care to join me?" he asked over his shoulder as he went.

"Sure!" Coral said. She wanted to get a look at their intruder. The two of them approached a crane bucket, leapt in, and were lifted into the air as Barton leveled his weapon.

"Barton. Talk to me," Coulson said.

"You want me to slow him down? Or are you sending in more guys for him to beat up?" Clint said, as he and Coral surveyed the blonde bodybuilder who had apparently.

"I'll let you know," Coulson said.

Coral, careful not to rock the basket too much, leaned forward to see their mystery man bulldozing his way through agents like the Running of the Bulls. She began to break him down in her head: approximately Normal intelligence, Peak Human Strength if those arms were any indication, Peak Human Speed and Durability as well. No discernible powers, but he did have excellent fighting skills. Question was: what was The Perfect Warrior doing in the middle of the New Mexico and why was he so determined to get the object of unknown origin?

"You'd better call it, Coulson, cause I'm starting to root for this guy," Hawkeye noted and the Viper nodded in agreement as the Warrior

The man stood next to the 084, reaching out to it confidently as the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents watched from above. "Barton…" Coulson said, "…hold your fire." Hawkeye lowered his bow.

Coulson watches The Warrior with anticipation as The Warrior wraps his hand around the hammer. He smiles, triumphant, lifts… but the hammer doesn't move. The Warrior looks confused, tries again with two hands, to no avail - anger and frustration overtaking him. He strained with all his might, screamed from the effort, bellowing up at the storm and lightning above him. But, still, it doesn't budge. The Warrior falls to his knees before it, rain pouring down around him.

Coulson looked on, disappointed, activating his radio. "Alright show's over. Ground units, move in."

As the Agents surrounded him, The Warrior doesn't seem to notice or care. He just sat there on his knees, head bowed in the rain - a man broken, lost.

* * *

"Just keep him away from the bars," Coulson said, hours later, after having interrogated The Warrior.

"Twenty bucks says they're on their way to a bar," Coral said to Clint as Dr. Selvig and 'Dr. Blake' got into their car.

"Pass," he said. "Twenty bucks says that Nat's going to see more fighting than us." Coral scoffed.

"We're in the middle of Nowhere and she's supervising the Billionaire Natural Disaster," Coral said and Clint frowned. Coral considered the bet for a moment, before saying "Deal." Clint perked up.

As Selvig and 'Donald' drove off, Coulson turned to Garrett and Cale and said, "Follow them."

"Want me to go boss?" Coral asked.

"Nah, I'd prefer to keep you here for now," Coulson said, watching the doctors pull away. He turned to her as they vanished over the hill. "What's your read?" Coral promptly pulled up the security readout of 'Dr. Donald Blake's' ID, which clearly read as fake.

"Well, we obviously know 'Donald Blake' is not really 'Donald Blake,' but apart from that, not a clue. There's no match for him on the Index, any watch lists nor most wanted's here or anywhere." Coulson frowned; for S.H.I.E.L.D. to not have record of a guy of this caliber was unsettling. "The one thing we've got is that while you were out of the room, our visitor started talking to himself. Except, it sounded more like half a conversation. Reactions and everything," Coral said, bringing up that section of the recording up on her pad.

"Who's Loki?" Coulson asked, squinting at the picture.

"That's where this gets sketchy. Or, at least, sketchier," she said, showing him the most well-known 'Loki.' "Loki is the Norse God of Mischief and Chaos and Brother of Thor, the God of Thunder and wielder of Mjolnir: The hammer with the capability of leveling mountains," she said, scrolling through pictures of Loki, Thor, and Mjolnir, the latter two somewhat resembling 084 and the man so desperate to get it. Coulson took the pad from her and zoomed in on the images, Coral letting him think for a moment before continuing with, "My theory: this is a highly elaborate prank Stark set up to annoy us and get us to leave him alone."

"We have to assess every possible explanation," Coulson said, handing the pad back to her. She looked at him as though he'd just said 'Climate Change is caused by gays.'

"Coulson, we are talking about _mythology_ here. Full blown Gods and Myths and Monsters, the stuff Chimera force-fed to my sisters and I as bedtime stories," Coral said furiously.

Coulson looked around, before dragging her away from the other agents and noting in hushed voice, "The Tesseract wasn't supposed to be real."

Coral's eyes widened and she looked around as though she expected Fury to fall from the sky and pummel them into the center of the earth for even daring to talk about something so secretive at a time like this. "The _Tesseract_ is an energy source that was far too advanced for ancient peoples to understand, so they called it magic."

"People said the same thing about the Jews for practicing basic hygiene that kept them from catching plagues," Coulson said.

"People come up with all kinds of excuses to persecute people," Coral said, feeling the whip scars on her back twinge a bit.

"And _you're_ coming up with excuses to not believe that this isn't a viable theory. Coral, we just visited the house of man who has a flying suit of armor he built to escape terrorists in the Middle East and now hosts drunken birthday parties in, and you asked Fury to let you, a teenage weapon trained in a hidden base in the Alps by a group of Neo-Nazis, to shadow a giant green rage monster who can use the Washington monument as a baseball bat. I'm pretty sure this would not be weirdest, most improbable thing we have seen." She started shaking her head, taking a moment to come up with a retort to his (admittedly reasonable point).

"But-but this is like crazy History channel conspiracy theory stuff, like 'Aliens built the pyramids' or something," she cried.

"I'm not saying I think it's true. I'm just saying we have to keep an open mind," he said.

"Coulson…" she moved to in for another bout but his look said, 'Discussion over.' She huffed and rolled her eyes like only a teenager could. " _Fine_. I'll treat it as a theory. Nothing more." He smiled and patted her on the shoulder and she went back to comparing the face of 'Donald Blake' to different pictures of Thor, Coulson looking over her shoulder.

"The guy does look like he could be a God though," he said.

"Watch it."

* * *

"So Coulson really is treating the 'Norse God' Theory as a legitimate one?" Clint asked, kicking Coral's hackey-sack back toward her.

"I guess," she said, kneeing it back up into the air twice, before kicking it back over her shoulder towards him. Hawkeye laughed.

"Just what we need; literal Gods in additions to billionaires with God complexes." Coral smiled. "So, what do you think?"

Coral opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by energy burst emanating from the desert. She and Barton rushed inside the base to hear a techie explain, "We got massive energy readings out of nowhere, then they just disappeared. Fifteen miles due northwest."

"Let's go take a look," Coulson said, directing agents to their vehicles. "Hold the fort, Barton."

The agents drove to the location of the energy surge to find some kind of old looking runes burned into the ground. A few S.H.I.E.L.D. agents secured the perimeter as scientists took readings. Coulson kneeled, examining the Runes.

"It looks like Celtic knots," Coral said.

"Didn't the Norse use similar knots?" Coral gave him a watered-down version of Fury's one eye glare. "Get somebody from Linguistics out here."

Just then, the Agents heard a rumbling overhead, as a storm roared in the sky above. Coulson and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents scramble for cover, their vehicle windshields shattering, as the storm grows in strength. Finally, the hole in the sky overhead opened, and the funnel cloud exploded out of it, touching down onto the desert floor. The Agents sheltered their eyes from the maelstrom, which dissipated to reveal a metal man.

From behind a jeep, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents stared at the machine in awe. "Is that one of Stark's?" Sitwell asked.

"I don't think so. But the guy doesn't tell me anything." Coulson grabbed a megaphone, stepped forward, calling out to the machine. "Hello! You're using unregistered weapons technology. Please identify yourself." The face mask opened… only to reveal the empty insides with the tell-tale sound of something powering up. "Incoming!" Coulson called.

Too late.

A blast of energy emitted from the metal Monstrosity, blowing up cars and agents.

"HAWKEYE GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE! YOU OWE ME TWENTY BUCKS!" Coral shouted into her radio, ducked down behind a truck as the agents retreated. _They need cover_. So, she checked her pistol before standing and shouted, "HEY BIG GUY! OVER HERE!" The hulking metal man of mass destruction turned to face her and got a face full of lead for its trouble. Coral lowered her gun, having used her entire clip, only for the Monstrosity to power right back up and level a figurative (and semi-literal) death glare at her. She grimaced. "Damn. I was _so_ sure that was gonna work." She ducked behind the S.H.I.E.L.D. van next to her.

 ** _BOOM!_**

The blast of energy from the metal monstrosity hit the car she'd hidden behind, sending it somersaulting through the air… in her direction.

Coral let out a brief scream, rolling over to the side a few times before the car landed again, an inch away from her face. She let out a sigh and got up, but then frowned when she realized how hot her hair felt. She looked at it in the mirror of the car she's almost been killed by and then groaned when she realized a good-sized chunk was now singed. She rolled her eyes, but simply patted out the flames, otherwise unharmed. Kneeling behind the car, she surveyed the area. The remaining agents had since retreated and the Monstrosity had apparently lost interest and was making its way to the town. She whipped out her (empty) pistol when she heard someone approaching but relaxed when Hawkeye held up his hands in truce. She sighed.

"They're evacuating the town," Clint told her.

"Garrett and Cale?"

"No, I think it was our friend, Donald Blake. And his friends from out of town. By the way, your hair's a little-"

"I noticed. Come on."

"Anyone not helping the wounded will help with the evacuation. I think it's pretty clear this… thing is only really after its objective," Coulson said.

"Tunnel vision. Let's hope so," Clint nodded, and quickly started tending to his fellow agents. Coulson looked at Coral to see her looking at the remains of the S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicles, to the smoke curling into the air and the agents and bodies sprawled on every flat surface. He put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up and nodded, getting back to work.

Everyone seemed on edge, as though half expecting the metal Monstrosity to come back and finish the job, but it seemed to be having the time of its life tearing up the town.

 ** _KRAKAKABOOM!_**

A blinding bolt of lightning struck down from above, right into the center of the town as the agents looked on. Coulson's com beeped a moment later and after listening a moment, he hung up and motioned the remaining field agents to follow him. "The 084 launched itself and I think we all know where it went."

A few field agents drove back into the town in the remaining cars as a tornado formed, the Monstrosity and the Warrior, now clad in his full battle armor and holding the 084, in the center of the storm. The Warrior knocked two of the Monstrosity's blasts to the side. The machine then lifted its head up at the Thunder God and unleashed one last great blast. The Warrior dove downwards straight at it, with the 084 before him, which collided with the Monstrosity's fiery energy blast, overpowering it, pushing it back, forcing it downwards at the Monstrosity itself. The Warrior jammed his hammer deep into the Monstrosity's faceplate, where the fiery energy within the creature built up and exploded within him, firing out of all his openings. The Warrior smashed the Monstrosity's to the ground in a tremendous heap, the fiery energy within it extinguished forever. The Warrior simply walked away as though it were any other day, the other objects and debris pulled into the air by the gale winds dropped down from the skies, around the Monstrosity. The Warrior then began to speak with Doctor Foster and her team, who had witnessed the whole thing. Having recovered from the shock Coulson approached with several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Coral hanging back reluctantly.

"Donald… I don't think you've been completely honest with me," he says.

"Know this, son of Coul. You and I, we fight for the same cause - the protection of this world. From this day forward, count me as your ally. If you return the items you have stolen from Jane Foster."

"Stolen," she said at the same time Coulson said, "Borrowed." Dr. Foster shot him a look and he quickly continued. "You'll get your equipment back. You're going to need it to continue your research… which, after today's events, S.H.I.E.L.D. would like to fully sponsor. If that's alright with you." Dr. Foster smiled and turned back to 'Thor.'

"Would you like to see the Bridge we talked about?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yeah."

"Wait, we need to debrief you!" Coulson cried, but Thor and Jane were already gone.

"Damn it."

"They're probably heading back to the site," Coral said, watching the duo fly in that direction.

"Right, Sitwell!" he shouted to Sitwell.

The agents managed to squeeze into the few remaining cars and drove back to the site, where Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, and Darcy Lewis stood, staring up into the sky. Something seemed to be building, as it looked like a whole galaxy was revealed where there had been none before. But at the same time, it seemed… off.

"Jane?" Dr. Selvig said.

"Something's wrong," she said and she was right. The energy looked out of control, chaotic. Coral and Coulson looked to each other; If it kept building, gods knew what would happen when it went off.

And then… the energy exploded in the sky like fireworks firing in all directions. Coulson, Coral, and all the scientists and agents (and Darcy) stood watching in amazement as the energy, and likely its source, finally vanished.

"It's gone," Jane muttered.

Coulson sighed and started to wave away the agents; they'd leave a unit to watch over the town for the next few days, but they were fairly certain that their 084s were gone.

"I'm sorry, Doctor Foster," Coral said. The woman nodded vaguely, but kept her eyes on the sky. The Viper turned back to the town, the smoke from the battle curling into the galaxy above.

Gods. What next?


	12. Years and Days

**A/N: Good news is that I have started writing again! Bad news, I've also started school again. Can't say how consistent updates will be, as I meant to publish this last night but got slammed with homework at the last minute, yet at the same time, I've got the next chapter almost finished and I'll (hopefully) publish it on the 27th. We'll see.  
**

 **Also, reminder, I am still doing the "one-shots in exchange for reviews thing." For my two friends, ericaphoenix16 and SuOmAlAiNeN92** **, thank you so much for reviewing and feel free to ask for any one-shot from the ones listed here or even request one, if you like.**

 **Prank Wars (Pranks can get out of hand when you're going up against spies), Ironman (Coral reacts to "the Stark Situation"), Funny Thing Happened on the way to Thor's Hammer! (Coulson and Coral get caught in a robbery on the way to Puente Antiguo), The Consultant (Sitwell, Coulson, and Coral deal with the aftermath of The Incredible Hulk), Agent Carter (Coral learns about SHIELD's history), Black Widow (Coral connects with her spiritual predecessor), Hawkeye (Interlude at the Barton Homestead), Captain America (Coral and Coulson react to Captain America being found and unfrozen), Hide and Seek! (a game of hide and seek goes on forever when you're playing with spies), High school (Coral goes undercover at a high school), Sin's memories (Sinthea Schmidt remembers her father)  
**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading and hope you enjoy (and review)!**

Years and Days

27 January 2012

The Asylum

"You don't have to do this," Coulson said for what must've been the twelfth time as she turned in her weapons at the door (a rather extensive process due to the amount she always carried).

"I want to. It's been over a year. I need to know whether or not she's going to change," Coral said.

"People usually don't unless they want to. _Really_ want to. And sometimes, no matter how much you want them to, they don't," he reminded.

"I know," she said.

Coulson nodded and gave her one last hug, before she went in. "Good luck." She nodded as she broke away, taking a deep breath as she was escorted by guards to meet her best friend.

* * *

Coral sat at a table, seconds ticking by like hours, every beat of her heart feeling like the beating of a war drum.

The door creaked open and Coral looked up to see Ophelia in a straightjacket lead into the room by two SWAT gear clad S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

"Hey," she said. Ophelia didn't bother to look up. Coral blinked and fumbled with the package she'd brought. "I brought you gummy worms." She pushed it across the table toward her friend. Ophelia didn't even blink. "I know that it's not as good as when we stole them from Chimera agents but still. Gotta have some appeal, right?" Still silence. "Can't imagine the food's that great here either. I'm sorry about that. I tried to make you as comfortable as I could." Nothing. Coral swallowed. "Is there anything you'd like? I might be able to negotiate." Ophelia slowly, but surely, began to look up. Coral began to smile but it slipped off her face like melting snow off the Alps when she saw the teary eyes filled with anger.

"Get. _Out_." Ophelia grit out.

Losing her nerve, Coral nodded and stood, walking to the door. But before she left, she turned back to her best friend and said, "I never wanted to hurt you. I know I have and I'm sorry. But they were killing you from the inside out. And I still believe that even now, you don't want to kill me."

Ophelia just glared at her, so Coral left, the door shutting behind her with a solid click.

* * *

Ophelia was escorted back to her cell by the two SWAT gear guards, passing Sinthea's cell on her way. As she passed her friend's glass containment cell, she subtly changed her loose left hand to three fingers. Sinthea nodded slightly, before bringing out her beacon from underneath her mattress and typing in the words: _She's here_.

* * *

"How was it?" Coulson asked as she holstered her weapons.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said. "But I'm not giving up." Coulson opened his mouth, likely to offer some words of wisdom, when-

 _ **BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!**_

"Prisoners 180 and 290 have escaped," the alarms blared and immediately the security guards jumped into formation, rushing to secure the exits. Coulson immediately headed for the control room, calling the Director as he did so. Coral sighed.

 _Goddamnit guys_.

* * *

Ophelia and Sinthea punched, kicked, and otherwise barreled through the guards that stood between them and freedom, in the form of the main landing platform. Their man on the inside had made sure to offer them the path of least resistance to the platform, complete with unlocked doors, their weapons returned, and a Chimera chopper waiting for their extraction.

Sure enough, when they made it to the surface, blinking in the bright sunlight, there it was, coming in for landing without any S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in sight. They hurried toward the helicopter-

 _ **BOOM!**_

The two young agents were thrown back by the explosion of their helicopter being hit by an RPG. The chopper quickly lost altitude, falling below the platform before careening into the cliffside, the inhabitants of the cabin jumping out of the door in hopes of saving themselves from a fiery death. Sinthea and Ophelia looked up to see none other than their former best friend standing there, bazooka in hand.

"Coral. Lovely to see you again. What's it been, five minutes?" Ophelia said.

"Don't be coy with me. What exactly do you think you're doing?" she said, putting down the now ammo-less launcher.

"Going home," Ophelia said simply.

"Home? To what exactly? To surgeries, starvation, survival of the fittest? To trying not to scream because that makes the pain last longer? To the abuse and torture that the closest thing we had to family ever gave us? Is that _really_ what you want?!"

"Like you're so much better. You stand there, beside the Director, and the Hawk, and the Widow, but you're not one of them. You're one of us, you always will be. Do you think that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s going to care about you once you've given them everything you've got? Do you think that they're going to protect you when the chips are down? Snakes and birds/monsters and heroes don't get along, Coral, you know that. Come home," Ophelia said, using the tone that had always given Coral strength when she needed it and melted her when she didn't.

But Coral stood her ground, grit her teeth and said, "No."

"Coral–"

"No, Ophelia! And you're not leaving either. We take care of each other, and that's what I'm gonna do," she said, moving into fighting stance. Ophelia sighed and moved to do the same, Sinthea following with much more enthusiasm.

"I'm sorry."

"I wish believed you," Coral said. She threw the first punch, which Ophelia blocked and reciprocated, Sinthea doing the same. Coral blocked them both and did a sweeping kick in an attempt to knock them off their feet, but they leaped over her blow. She then attempted to strike at their knees, but they blocked her blows and delivered their own kicks in turn. Coral was sent somersaulting away, Ophelia striking like a snake with multiple rapid blows, strong enough to incapacitate but not kill.

"Why fight for them Ophelia?! You're a nihilist!" Coral cried as she parried the strikes.

"I fight for nihilism - and shall continue to do so until I, in turn, am cut down!" Ophelia said passionately. Coral caught her next swing, looking at her like she was the Office camera.

"That literally puts the moron in oxymoron," she said, using her grip on Ophelia's arm to flip her to the ground.

"You're one to talk!" Sinthea said, swinging at Coral next, who sidestepped with ease. "You cling to the blinding illusions of human decency when you could submit to the liberating reality of animal depravity!" she said, a crazed look in her eye, as Coral dodged and blocked her blows before finally grabbing Sinthea by her flaming red hair.

"You should look in the mirror," she said, before bringing Sinthea's head down on her knee and knocking the girl to the ground.

"Is this really the best my girls can do? Glorified catfights complete with hair-pulling?" came a cool voice from behind them and the trio turned to see none other than Mother Night standing there, arms crossed, eyebrow cocked, clearly unimpressed.

"Mother Night!" Ophelia and Sinthea exclaimed in winded voices from the ground. Coral's jaw just about dropped.

"How did you-"

"I trained you girls, did you really think you could hold me when you can barely hold them?" Mother Night asked.

"You're not taking them," Coral said.

"You don't have a say in that."

"Try me," Coral said, falling back into fighting stance. Mother Night rolled her eyes, unsheathed her sword and swung it around a few times, causing Coral to back away slightly.

"Even you aren't stupid enough to fight a master swordswoman without a weapon," Mother Night said. Coral dropped the fighting stance and instead drew her gun and shot at her former boss.

 _ **BANG BANG BANG!**_

Mother Night managed to block one bullet with the broadside of her sword but the other two hit the large ornate collar. Mother Night stumbled but managed to right herself with a scowl.

"That wasn't very sporting of you," she said.

"You taught me well," Coral replied.

"Coral!" Ophelia cried, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent looked up in time to catch the sword Ophelia had thrown her way. Mother Night glared at her, only for Ophelia to say, "If you want to fight her, do it like a woman."

"Besides, you wanted to be sporting; here's your sporting chance," Coral said, swinging her blade around. Mother Night smirked and held her blade straight in front of her. Coral copied her and not a moment later, the Mother struck. Coral parried that blow and the next, and stabbed at her opponent, only for Mother Night to turn out of the way and send Coral sprawling into the dust. The girl rolled away just in time to avoid being stabbed by Mother Night's downward strike and quickly got back to her feet.

She'd made a mistake; she was good with a sword but Mother Night was a true master. Though older, Mother Night was quick, strong, and experienced. Though they were both fighting to kill, it was obvious who had every advantage, as evidenced by their blade lock.

"You can't win against us, child," Mother Night said, pressing down her blade so Coral was forced to her knees to give her extra support. "We are everywhere, in every agency, in every government, in the hearts and minds of every world leader. You cannot kill us, for we shall simply take on a new form."

"Well then I guess I'll just have to get good at recognizing you," Coral grit out, giving one last push to throw Mother Night's blade off of her own. She stabbed at the older woman in one last desperate attempt at a killing blow… only for Mother Night's blade to catch her own, twist around it, pulling it from her grasp and into the air, where she caught it with her free hand. She brought the blades into an X formation, Coral's neck resting between the two.

"It'll be difficult for you to do that without a head," Mother Night threatened. Ophelia moved forward to speak but was cut off by The Asylum's door exploding and dozens of SWAT gear clad S.H.I.E.L.D. agents pouring out, led by Agent Coulson. As they aimed their weapons on the Chimera agents, Mother Night forced Coral in front of them, blades still to her neck, and said, "Come any closer and she dies."

 _Coulson, don't do it_ , Coral thought desperately.

Coulson hesitated for a moment, before lowering his gun and motioning for the others to do the same.

 _OH MY GOD!_ Coral rolled her eyes and would've thrown her arms up in frustration had she not had her neck between two blades. She felt them wrap something around her waist but didn't bother to consider what it was as she was too busy glaring at Coulson who was staring at her apologetically.

 _ **Poof!**_

A balloon was inflated suddenly and rose into the air, taking with it the nylon ropes attached to the harnesses that had been slipped around Coral, Ophelia, Sinthea, and Mother Night's waists. Recognizing the device, Coral gave Coulson a terrified look as Mother Night removed her blades from their place at her former pupil's neck and the sound of a low flying airplane emitted from overhead. Coral quickly threw her head back and elbowed the three women holding her and had just started to slip the harness off when the plane flew overhead, grabbing the balloon and dragging the cables and four agents with it. Coral was pulled into the air briefly but managed to slip out of the harness a moment later. Ophelia screamed and tried to reach for her, but Coral refused to reach back, instead falling over the edge of the landing platform and into the water below. The last thing Ophelia saw as she was pulled into the plane by Sinthea and Mother Night was the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents stopping Coulson from throwing himself over the side after Coral, as several of them began climbing down the cliff and grappling over the edge of platform to reach the barely floating body of Coral King in the water below.

* * *

 _beep_

 _beep_

 _beep_

 _beep_

Coral awoke to the sound of a heart rate monitor and the sight of Coulson at her bedside. "You gave us quite a scare," he said, in a very worried but relieved tone. She smiled slightly but was too tired and sore to do much else.

"What happened?" she asked.

"The impact with the water knocked you out, and then you almost drowned and froze because of it," Coulson explained and Coral nodded slowly.

"Well that would explain why I feel like complete and utter shit." He chuckled and she sighed as she tried to stretch out as best as she could when attached to so many wires and IVs. "How long have I been out?"

"Twelve hours?" Coulson shrugged.

"Woah. What've I missed?"

"Nothing much. Fury's mad at you for taking on two highly trained Chimera operatives and Mother Night on your own."

"Yeah but that's nothing new. And it was Ophelia and Sinthea, I beat them once before, thought I could do it again. Speaking of which, how are they doing?" she asked. Coulson stopped and pursed his lips. Coral looked at him oddly.

"Coral… Ophelia and Sinthea got away," he explained. She blinked and nodded while taking a deep breath, before she attempted to lift herself off the bed and detangle herself from the IVs and monitors, which began to beep wildly. "What are you doing?" Coulson asked, putting a hand on her shoulder as he tried to keep her in place.

"Getting back to work, you're gonna need all hands-on deck to bring them back in," she said.

"Coral, no, you don't understand, they are gone."

"They're not, I just need to give them time to-"

"Time to what? They threw you off a cliff!"

"Technically I threw myself off the cliff-"

"To avoid being captured by them!"

"They're just confused. Once they come to their senses-"

"Coral, sometimes-"

"No!"

"Coral-"

"NO! NO, THEY CAN'T DO THAT, THEY CAN'T JUST FORGIVE OVER A DECADE OF TORTURE AND SLAVERY AND JUST GO RIGHT BACK TO THEM LIKE THAT, THEY-THEY CAN'T! THEY JUST CAN'T BECAUSE I CAN'T AND THEY SHOULDN'T AND WE PROMISED TO STAY-to-to stay-" she stuttered and Coulson quickly pulled her into a hug just as she broke down into sobs.

"I know. I know. I'm sorry. I know," he said, patting her back as she hiccupped and choked on her tears.

"How could they do that? How could they leave? How could they forgive them so easily?" Coral whimpered. Coulson paused for a moment before they spoke.

"Sometimes, it's easier to forgive your enemies than your friends. And there's also the fact that these types of mental and emotional manipulation and programming run deep and are hard to flush out. That's why people can fall back into bad relationships over and over again." Coral nodded vaguely as she began to wipe away her tears.

"Yeah. I mean, I'm not really surprised by Sinthea because she's a sociopath, but I thought Ophelia was smarter than that," she said.

"Intelligence has little to do with it, I'm afraid. I've seen some of the most brilliant minds in the world be twisted to serve goals completely opposite to their own." Coral nodded again, before looking away. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Coulson… have you ever done the twisting?"

Coulson grimaced and said, "I feel that's more like straightening out. Sometimes we recruit less than moral people through more than generous offers, and sometimes we recruit moral people through less than moral means. But what we do, it's for the good of everyone." Coral didn't seem so sure of that but nodded. Coulson smiled sadly and kissed her forehead. "Get some rest. We can talk more when you're better."

He moved to leave but at the last moment, Coral cried, "Coulson!" He turned back to her where she was glancing up nervously at him. "Can you stay? Just until I fall asleep?" He smiled and nodded and Coral scooted over in the bed to make room for him, taking care to keep the IVs and heart rate monitor wires out of his way. There they lay, his arm around her as she nuzzled into his side, like a baby penguin nuzzling to her father for warmth. Outside, behind the two-way mirror, Nat and Clint smiled to each other, knowing that while Coral had lost her first family, she would always have her new one.


	13. Changes

**A/N: So, this is one is out a little later than I had planned, but here it is! We're in 'Phase 2,' a few months after "The Avengers." And boy, have I got some good stuff planned here. ;) As always, thank you to my lovely reviewers and readers and hope you enjoy!**

Changes

August 2012

"I hate the Council. Have I told you that?" Coral said, sprawled horizontally across a chair in Fury's Triskelion office.

"Probably," he said, not looking up from his files.

"I just, I really do. And I know it's probably petty, but I'm fourteen, I should be allowed to be petty." Fury sighed and set aside the folder, folding his hands as he gave her his full attention.

"I know you hate this, but I can't directly go against the Council." Coral gave him a look. "Apart from situations like nuking millions of lives. The Council is worried about the controversy that could spout from having you as an Avenger." Coral coked an eyebrow and Fury took it as a sign to explain. "Cap's a war hero and Captain America besides, no problem there, and Stark's already well known. Barton and Romanoff are only having their codenames published in order to not draw too much attention to themselves. We couldn't exactly keep the Hulk and Thor hidden, but thankfully the people appear to be welcoming them with open arms-"

"But Gods forbid a black teenage girl help save the world," Coral rolled her eyes and Fury bristled.

"King, you aren't even supposed to be under S.H.I.E.L.D. contract. I broke a lot of rules to keep you here. I break anymore, and you won't be," he said, pointing accusingly at her before going back to the file.

"It's not about the glory," came Coral's voice. He looked up to see her sitting upright and folded in on herself. "You know that right? It's not about being stuck in the shadows, I don't mind that; it's just about me being everybody's secret that has to be kept hidden away. It's about me not having much of a choice when it comes to my own life. It's not as bad as Chimera, but still. I traded a cell for house arrest and probation for a crime I didn't commit."

"Disobeying orders is technically a crime."

"You don't see Barton or Romanoff being punished like me. Heck, Rogers just joined up and he's already Level 8!"

"Well, you haven't exactly been accommodating to the handlers they've given you-"

"They're slow and stifling and they won't let me do my job."

"Your job is to listen!"

"My job is to help people!" she cried. "And I can't do that if they won't even let me out of their sight! After everything I've done for them, they still treat me like-"

"A child?" Fury chimed in. She gave him a look.

"Like a Level 1 agent." He shrugged.

"You technically shouldn't have any clearance-"

"And technically Clint, Natasha, and Steve should all be dead."

"Are you complaining?"

"No, though I bet the Council is." Fury opened his mouth, "Tell me honestly that they wouldn't have had us all fired if they could have." He closed it and she sighed. "Even after everything the Avengers have done, they still don't trust us."

"They obviously trust _you_ , if they want you to be the one reporting back to them."

"No, they just know that they can control me. 'Hey Coral, be a dear and spy on your friends for us, wontcha? By the way, your contract's going to be looked over for renewal soon. Just a reminder, love ya, bye!' They know that out of all the Avengers on their payroll that I'm the only one who won't leave no matter how they treat me." Fury gave her a curious glance at that.

"Why don't you? You've made it clear you can take care of yourself."

"Maybe I've grown a little too fond of this place," she said, leaning back to look at the ceiling. "Besides, it's the only way I can hit back at Chimera and make sure my sisters are safe."

"You know they're safe-"

"How quickly can that change though? Answer: too quickly."

Fury pursed his lips but didn't argue. Silence descended for a moment as Fury went back to his papers, but he looked up a moment later, activating the button that tinted the windows, locked the door, and scrambled all known types of bugs and listening devices. "Ever thought about the private sector?" he asked. She sat up.

"Is that your way of asking me to go undercover as a professional assassin and spy?" she asked. "Cause if so-"

"No. I'm talking about taking up a contract from me on the side." She gave him a puzzled look but gestured with his hand to continue. "There's something going on in the shadows of S.H.I.E.L.D. and I'm not sure my light will be able to get a rid of them on its own."

"So you want me to infiltrate the shadows and find out how far they stretch," she said.

"Essentially."

"The Council won't be happy about this."

"The Council isn't going to _know_ about this." She cocked an eyebrow at that.

"What kind of shadows am I looking for?"

"Chimera." She froze. "And maybe a few other similar groups-"

"Done."

"You can back out any time," he said, taking out the file.

"You know I won't," she said. "The files on my sisters, they're still Level 10, right?"

He nodded. "Only Pierce and I have access."

She sighed in relief.

"Good." He held out the file to her and she flipped up to take it and turned to head to the door.

"Before you go, here," Fury said, taking something from his coat pocket.

The cards.

 _Coulson's_ cards.

Fury handed them to her and she greedily guarded them, running her fingers over them as though to make sure they were his.

"I had the lab look them over. They got the blood out, used a chemical I can't name to dissolve the blood but leave the paper intact. But they're practically ne-"

"It's still there," Coral cut him off. He stopped short as she ran her fingers directly over the spots where Coulson's own blood had once stained the images of Captain America in action. "I can feel it. Can't see it. Can't smell it. But I can feel it."

Coulson had left her practically all of his belongs, which she had kept in storage, unable to deal with even the possibility of getting rid of them. The few things she really took ownership of that he'd left her were his books, some movies, and a set of pearls that had once belonged to Julie Coulson. She kept those in her S.H.I.E.L.D. room, though from the look of her new assignment, she was going to have to move them to Stark Tower. But looking at these cards, she felt like these were something she should keep close to her heart. So, she slipped them in the inside breast pocket of her jacket before standing before Nicholas Fury, sighing through her nose. "I'm still mad at you."

"When aren't you?"

"Can you blame me?"

* * *

"So, the 'World Security Council,' the same organization that nearly nuked New York, wants you to live here to report on the status of the Avengers," Tony Stark summarized.

"Pretty much. Just thought I should run it by you first," Coral said, standing in front of the assembled Avengers… which essentially consisted of the 'Science Bros' Tony and Bruce, as everyone else had their own place to live and therefore did not spend much time at Stark Tower.

"Couldn't they fire you for telling us this?" Bruce asked.

"Not until my contract expires. It's up for renewal in January, but nowhere in the official order does it state that the Avengers are to be _completely_ unaware of my surveillance of them," Coral said.

"Really?" Bruce asked and she shrugged.

"It's implied more than anything, but I have Jennifer Walters on my side. I'd win in court if it came down to it. Not that they'd let it get that far. Imagine the headlines. 'Government Intelligence Agency sues Teenage Employee.'" Tony looked like he would've liked to see that. Bruce was still unconvinced.

"So the official orders are-"

"That I am to be S.H.I.E.L.D.'s official liaison to the Avengers and will serve as team coordinator, supervisor, and trainer."

"Trainer?" Tony scoffed. "I don't need a trainer." Coral smiled in a sugary, sympathetic manner and moved to pat Tony on the back… only to flip him onto his back. "Ah!" he shrieked landing with a _**Thud!**_

Bruce couldn't manage to smother his chuckles and Coral didn't even try to hide her smile.

"You were saying?" she said, offering Tony a hand.

"I'm better when I have my suit," he said as she helped him to his feet.

"And if you're ever without it? Do you want to have another Monaco race track incident? Besides, if you're building anything, you should start with a good foundation. No matter how strong you are with the suit, it's best you learn how to use it efficiently." He pursed his lips, but didn't argue, which meant she'd won. She smiled again. "Now. Get changed," she said, taking off her leather jacket to reveal S.H.I.E.L.D. exercise clothes. "We've got work to do."

* * *

 _ **Thunk!**_

"Again!"

 _ **Thunk!**_

"Again!"

 _ **Thunk!**_

"Again!"

"Why?!" Ophelia shouted at Mother Night, wiping sweat from her brow, pitching her set of throwing darts to the ground. "We've been training for months now and no missions. No news. We deserve some answers at least."

"It is not your place to question-"

"It isn't my place to be stuck on the shelf like a china doll either!" she said. "I want to be of use!"

"You'll be of no use if you're dead!" Mother Night screamed and Ophelia stepped back, startled. Mother Night sighed and shook her head. "The first ones to charge into battle are the first ones to fall."

"… But they can also be the ones who change it all," Ophelia noted. The corner of Mother Night's mouth twitched upward, before going back to a tired line to match the lines around her sorrowful eyes.

"Perhaps. But keeping leaders alive is an important part of any war." She motioned to Sinthea, who had been watching, hidden in a corner. Mother Night held Ophelia and Sinthea at an arm's length, her hands on their shoulders. "You girls are our future. Remember that." She tightened her grip before letting them go. "Now… let's try that move. _Again_."


	14. Stupid Mistakes

**A/N: ... So, the world may be ending and I got sick during Spring Break, hence why this update is so late. Sorry. Thank you so much to my wonderful BETA reader, jaguarspot, she did a fantastic job as always. Question, there is technically now a Viper character in "Agents of SHIELD." It will be a while before we catch up to that point in this story, but I was wondering if you guys had any opinions on how to handle it: ignore it, mention it, make a plot point out of it? I have several ideas for each one, so it really depends on what you guys think and want.**

 **Thanks for your support, and please review!**

Stupid Mistakes

December 2012

"Hey, Bruce, what's a snake's favorite subject?" Bruce looked up from his work to cock an eyebrow at Coral. " _Hiss_ tory." He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead on the cool metal plates of the wall as she cackled.

"That was bad, even for you."

"Give me a bit and I'll come up with a better one," she said.

"It seems to me that this is… done!" he said, putting in the last of the vibranium alloy panels. They were currently at "The Retreat," a log cabin in the middle of nowhere, meant to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. sanctioned sanctuary for newly Enhanced individuals. Fury had asked Bruce to make some adjustments to the place so that it could handle powers of all types, to which Bruce had obliged, so long as the locks were on the inside and not the out.

"You sure?" Coral asked, tilting her head to examine it.

"As sure as I can be without testing it," he said, wiping his hands off with a cloth.

"There is _one_ way to make sure it's ready for anything."

Bruce took one look at her grin and said, "No."

"Please?" she whined. "We can send the footage to Tony and make him jealous! Plus, I'm technically supposed to be training you guys, and I can't do that if I'm only training half of you."

"I don't feel comfortable with you being in the room with him," he said.

"I grew up with Neo Nazis; I've been around worse." Bruce winced but shrugged in concession. "Besides, I brought the energy shield. I'll hide behind that if he gets too rough." Bruce still seemed unsure. "We have to know it's safe for other powered people, Bruce. And training him in this controlled environment away from civilians may help prevent future civilian casualties."

"… Alright. But you stay behind the shield the entire time," he said and she saluted, taking his glasses and shirt prior to powering it up. Slowly, Bruce's heart rate monitor began to beep wildly and, sure enough, he grew bigger and greener. He punched the wall halfway through his transformation and though the structure vibrated and his fist left a sizeable dent, it didn't crumble like 99% of the world's buildings would have. The Hulk raged around a little bit, trying to push at the walls and punch out the windows, but they held their ground.

She could tell he was quickly burning himself out and only had a few moments before he turned back so, making sure the shield was on standby, she deactivated it and said, "Hey, Big Guy." He rounded on her. "It's okay. We just wanted you to test it out before we had other people stay here. If you want, I can make it so you have more room. Would you like that?" It sniffed at her and roared, pounding his chest a bit, but didn't attack her. "I'll take that as a yes."

Activating a command on her tablet and the house began to lift like the opposite of a quinjet ramp. Hulk charged outside, tearing up grass and trees as he went, and she went over to the vibranium alloy panel he dented and had her tablet scan it to estimate the force of his punch: 115,000 lbf (510,000 N), about the same as the average jet engine. And that was just while transforming. Bringing the shield generator outside with her, she took out a jumbo sized laser pointer, a large bag of deboned chicken, and a radar gun, before whistling at the Hulk.

"Hey Big Guy!" She shined the pointer on the ground right in front of him, and he stopped tearing up a tree to look between her and it. "You want a treat?" she asked and turned on and off the laser pointer as he put his hand over the spot. "You get the spot, you get the treat," she said. She then pointed it at a tree about half a mile away. "Go get it!" Sure enough, the Hulk bounded after it, Coral measuring his speed with the radar gun, held steady in the hand not holding the pointer. He tore down the tree and Coral tossed him a chicken, which he almost swallowed whole.

She repeated the action several times to get a decent average reading, each time rewarding hulk with a whole fowl. Eventually, she'd gotten enough readings to figure out his average speed (65 mph) and had made sure she could direct him toward enemies and make him slow, stop, and change course decently. Writing her report up for Fury, she observed Hulk get distracted by birds and turn so gentle around them. _The Hulk likes small animals enough that they eventually calm him down and revert him back to Bruce Banner_ , Coral noted as the Hulk began to shrink. _Bruce Banner, on the other hand, does not seem to have the same weakness_ , she assessed as Banner stormed up to her, apparently irate.

"You shouldn't have deactivated the shield. What if he'd gone berserk? You'd be ground meat," Bruce said.

"I'd be shawarma," she joked but stopped when Bruce gave her the most disappointed glare she'd ever seen. "I trust you and I trust him. Technically speaking, of all the Avengers, Hulk has some of the lowest human casualties on record."

"I do not feel better knowing that," he said, sitting down in the torn up grass and holding his head. She took pity on him and patted his back, sitting next to him.

"I'm sorry I broke my promise. I'd say I won't do it again, but that'd be lying so I'll just promise to be careful. Besides, the forcefield is designed to pop up if anything is about to hit me. It's fast enough to stop a bullet, it should be quick enough to stop a Hulk punch."

"Let's hope," Bruce said. They gathered their things and headed back out to their car, ready for the long drive back to New York.

"What do you call a snake that tells jokes?" Coral asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Monty Python." Her jaw dropped at that. "That was one of my favorite shows as a kid; you're gonna have to do better than that."

* * *

"Is Tony avoiding us?" Coral asked, about half-way into the trip back.

"He might be avoiding you," Bruce said. "He still hasn't forgiven you for the nunchuck demonstration."

"I said sorry, and how is he supposed to learn anything without a bit of pain?" Coral said, indignant. "And I'm serious. He's just been acting… off lately. Like a more extreme version of himself." Bruce shrugged and Coral sighed.

"You want to turn on some music?" Bruce said, trying to distract her. She nodded and turned on the radio, only to find their topic of discussion was also national news.

"Here's a little holiday greeting I've been wanting to send to the Mandarin," came the recording of Tony Stark. "I just didn't know how to phrase it until now. My name is Tony Stark and I'm not afraid of you. I know you're a coward. So I've decided that you just died, pal. I'm gonna come get the 's no politics here. It's just good old-fashioned revenge. There's no Pentagon, it's just you and me. And on the off chance you're a man, here's my home address: 10880 Malibu Point. I'll leave the door unlocked. That's what you wanted, right?" Coral and Bruce glanced at each other before groaning as one.

"I'll call him first," Bruce said. Coral dialed the number on the car's built in phone. "Hi Tony, it's Bruce. Hope you and Pepper are okay. Just a suggestion, you guys might wanna stay somewhere else till things with the Mandarin cool down. The Tower's really nice, we've put up lights and everything. Please call me back when you get this," Bruce said, hanging up with a sigh. Coral waited a moment, before pulling out her own phone and dialing the same number.

"Hi Tony. It's Coral, the 'Plucky Sidekick' of the team. I'm currently acting as Bruce's Anger translator since he's gotta keep his cool and he's too nice to yell at you anyways." She cleared her throat.

"WHAT THE MOTHERFUCKING HELL ANTONY STARK?! YOU MAY BE THE DUMBEST GENIUS IN THE HISTORY OF THE HUMAN RACE AND CONSIDERING I WAS ENGINEERED BY SCIENTISTS THAT BELIEVED IN EUGENICS, THAT'S SAYING A LOT! PEPPER HAD BETTER BE DRAGGING YOUR ASS HERE BECAUSE WHEN THE SHITSTORM YOU HAVE JUST UNLEASHED HITS, IT'S GONNA HIT HARD! I MEAN, JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH, I CAN UNDERSTAND NOT WANTING YOUR IDENTITY TO BE A SECRET, BUT LETTING EVERY SINGLE FUCKING TERRORIST, CHIMERA AGENT, AND COMMON CROOK KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE ON TOP OF THE MANDARIN IS JUST FUCKING BULLSHIT TONY STARK! SO GET YOUR MORONIC ASS BACK TO SAFETY BEFORE I CONVINCE HULK TO THROW YOU TO ASGARD WHERE YOU CAN FIGHT, PARTY, AND BE STUPID WITH ALL OF THE OTHER THICK-HEADED ARROGANT ASSHOLES FOR THE REST OF ETERNITY AND NOT PUT EVERYONE ELSE THAT GIVES A DAMN ABOUT YOU AT RISK!" She hung up and threw her phone down with a disgusted groan.

"You know I have some techniques that could help you with-"

"You shut up," was all he got in reply, before she sighed angrily and laid back in her chair, massaging her temples. Bruce patted her shoulder and let her lay there as he drove them back to the city.

* * *

"I'm just saying, there's no reason Christmas should have the trademark on string lights," Coral said, taking a sip of hot chocolate as she admired the blue and white lights hanging in the R&D lab of Stark Tower. "Why can't we keep them up year round?"

"I don't know. I guess people think they're tacky at any time," Bruce said, focusing his microscope lens as he worked.

"… Tony would call us if he needed help, right?" Coral asked. Bruce looked at her and they both considered that phrase for a moment. "I mean, Rhodey would make him, at least?"

"Let's hope so," Bruce said and Coral nodded in agreement. "What about S.H.I.E.L.D., heard anything from them?"

"… No. And I don't think I'm high on their list of people to keep informed… anymore," she said, turning her gaze to the news articles opened on the tablet in her lap. Bruce patted her gently on the shoulder, before getting back to work. They stayed in silence for a while, before Coral spoke up with, "We need a dog."

"What?"

"Or cat. Even a fish. Just a team pet of some kind. Like a mascot." Bruce smiled as her face lit up like their lights. "Ooo! Or we could get everyone their own pet! Nat could a get a tarantula, Clint a canary, and Steve a former military dog. Probably a German Shepard for irony."

"What about Tony, Thor, and I?" Bruce asked. Coral pursed her lips exaggeratedly as tapped her chin.

"Thor likes horses though they're a bit big for New York unless you live at Central Park, so maybe a pony. Tony would get a monkey because you can train them to get tools and stuff and he can act like a neanderthal at times, so they'd practically be cousins. As for you… what pet would you want?"

"Dogs. I really love dogs," Bruce smiled and Coral nodded.

"A dog. A trained therapy dog. I'm thinking white labrador or border collie. I can't see you with a lap dog or anything small like that. You need big, smart, and sweet."

"Would we get you a snake?"

"Yeah, but you'd have to get me a cat or dog too."

"Why a cat or dog?" She shrugged.

"I don't know. I just want something I can play with. You can't really play with a snake."

"I think snake charmers would disagree."

"Eh, I doubt a snake would like the music I play."

"You never know." She smiled at him.

Just as Bruce began to turn up the burner on his latest concoction, Coral cried, "I got another joke for you!"

"Lay it on me."

"Why did the snake's wife file for divorce?" Bruce shrugged, not taking his eyes off of the mixture. "Ereptile Disfunction." Bruce stilled for a moment, before slowly turning to face a barely straight-faced Coral. Then he snorted and and broke into hysterical laughter, causing Coral to break her own control and join him. They just stood there, laughing until tears leaked from their eyes. Minutes passed and they were still hiccuping and crying with laughter. Finally, Coral recovered enough to notice Bruce's concoction was reacting. "…Bruce," she said, eyes going wide as the concoction bubbled and rattled in its place. Bruce turned to it and his eyes also went wide.

"Oh boy."

 _ **BOOM!**_

The force sent Coral flying off the table and across the room. Smoke filled her lungs, her head hit the ground. She heard the ceiling crack and wires and paneling fell out. She hunched in a ball and covered her head, preparing to take the impact.

 _ **Thump!**_

Something stopped the debris. Coral looked up to see none other than the Incredible Hulk, hunched above her, having stopped the debris with his own body apparently. They froze for a moment staring at each other, each trying to get a read on the other.

"Hey, Big Guy," Coral said, as gently yet clearly as possible. "It's me, Coral. Do you remember me? We saw each other just the other day, and before that, we fought together, alongside each other, right here in New York. The _second_ time you were there, not the first," she clarified. The Hulk sniffed and, apparently having recognized her, straightened up and went to explore the room. It had gone into lockdown mode with the explosion, meaning the shield doors and air filtration were in effect to keep out possible pathogens. But they wouldn't be enough to stop the Hulk if he decided to take a tour of the tower. He lightly tapped the siren and warning lights, stopping the sound and sending a tremble through the whole building. Coral tensed but forced herself to stand and slowly approach him. He growled and snarled as she approached and she slowly kneeled down, purposely making herself smaller to appeal to him.

"Nobody's gonna hurt you, least of all me. But if you're not careful, you're gonna hurt a lot of people. And I don't think you want that. Remember Stark?" Hulk snorted and Coral took that as a 'yes, unfortunately.' "You saved his life. Well, this is his building and I don't think he will be very happy if he comes home to find it nothing but rubble." He snorted and Coral felt it best to continue while she had his attention.

"And then there's the others. The Captain. Hawkeye. Thor. Black Widow. I know you don't always trust them, but they do care about you. I don't think you want to break their trust." She extended a hand to touch him. "And I don't think you want to hurt me-"

" _ **ROAR!"**_

The Hulk brought down both fists around her, pulverizing the concrete floor around her. Coral tensed but _somehow_ didn't flinch otherwise. Hulk snorted in her face, blowing her hair back a bit. She smiled.

"See? I trust you," she said. Slowly, she raised and splayed her hand out palm first. "You Hulk. Me Coral. You know, Tarzan?" she asked tentatively. He sniffed at the hand for a bit, prodded at it with a gargantuan finger that nearly pushed her off balance, before copying the move with his hand. Carefully, she pressed her hand to his own overwhelming palm. Wanting to see if he would follow, she then turned her hand level, palm up. Hulk sniffed and cocked his head curiously, but when she kept her hand in that position, he seemed to take the hint and turned his hand over the same way, setting it on her own enough that she felt the pressure but not enough to crush her hand or force it down. She smiled and he gave her his semi-terrifying grin in return. Taking a deep breath, she turned so she was facing the window and he looked out at the New York skyline with her, the sunlight sparkling over the Hudson.

"Can you see that? Sunset. The sun goes down for the day. Means it's time to relax. Time to sleep. Can you do that for me?" He huffed a bit and fidgeted as though ready to protest. "It's okay. It's just for a little while," she assured him. "You can come out again when we have more space and less breakable stuff and people nearby. Okay?" He snuffled a bit, but eventually seemed to nod. "Good. See you soon, Big Guy," she said, trailing a hand down his arm. Slowly but surely, the Hulk shrank down and Bruce Banner took his place. Coral kneeled down to help the trembling doctor. "You okay, Banner?"

"… Y-yeah. I think."

"Good," Coral said, looking him over to make sure there was no damage done to him. Her eyes widened and she quickly covered them realizing that he had not been wearing the stretchy pants during his transformation. "I-I'll just… go get you some clothes," she mumbled, turning on her heel and retreating.

"You do that," Bruce said weakly, staring at the remains of the destroyed laboratory.

* * *

When Tony and Pepper showed up late that same night, they were too exhausted from their battle with AIM and the kind-of Mandarin to be surprised at the destruction they found. Or at least, Pepper was, as she just turned around and headed for her room.

"Why is my R&D Lab half destroyed?" Tony asked as Coral and Bruce tried to hide the brooms and debris behind their backs.

"My bad," Coral cut Bruce off. "I was messing with Banner in the lab and then it exploded and he Hulked out."

"WHAT! He Hulked out and you didn't tell me?!" Tony whined.

"He was only Hulked out for like twelve minutes, I was able to calm him down," she said.

"You?"

"I can be calming!" she shrieked. Tony didn't even bother smothering his snort as he turned to follow Pepper to bed.

"I heard that!"

* * *

"I still can't believe you dragged us to this," Clint said.

"This is our first Christmas as a team and Tony's just lost his home. Be nice," Coral smiled, arms flung around her fellow spies.

"It's early January. Christmas ended over a week ago," Nat said.

"The Christmas Spirit lasts all year round!"

"You're Jewish," they both said.

"Converted. Besides, I missed twelve years of Christmases and/or Hanukkahs, so think of this as me making up for lost time," she said.

"Yes, Miss Sandy Claws," Clint said.

The actual party was decent; Tony didn't try to DJ or fight anyone in the suit, Banner didn't Hulk out, and none of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had to break out their weapons, so they all called it an unqualified success. The gifts were the best part, which was to be expected since it was a Stark Christmas party.

Coral gave all of them action figures of their Avengers personas, Nat gave guns and bubblegum (and Steve a life alert), Clint gave them arrow jewelry (a necklace for Nat, a bracelet for Coral, various piercings for the guys), Steve gave them hand drawn pictures of them as 1940s styled comic book heroes, Bruce gave them various meditation materials, tea, and guidebooks of calming methods, and Tony outdid them all with new suits and weapons for team missions.

"It doesn't fit very well," Nat said, holding her suit up to her body, which was both too large in the chest and too tiny in the waist.

"Well, _somebody_ wouldn't give me your measurements-"

"Tony, that would be like me giving someone your Social Security number," Coral said, popping her bubblegum as she unwrapped her present. She almost swallowed her gum and screamed when she saw what was inside, startling all of the Avengers, except Tony, who looked smug. She unfurled a shining katana from the wrappings. "You didn't!"

"Your file said you were decent with a sword and I figured, if most of us get specialized weapons, you oughtta have one too," Tony smiled.

 _ **Thump!**_

Tony flinched as Coral hugged him tightly around the waist, then slowly patted her head once he managed to wriggle his arm out of her embrace. She eventually broke away to admire her new weapon.

"What's it made of?" she asked.

"Adamantium," Tony said, "Best blades on the planet are made with those."

"I thought vibranium was the strongest metal?" Steve asked.

"It is," Coral said, moving into her basic forms to try the blade out. "But because it's so strong, it's hard to make into swords, which need to be worn down to be sharpened. Adamantium, on the other hand, while incredibly strong, is able to be worn down into the sharpest blades on earth. Better than steel or obsidian." She carefully put her hand to the blade. "Tony, this may be the best gift anyone's ever given me."

"Hey, you haven't even opened all of yours yet," Clint said, gesturing to one last present, a large bundle covered with a tarp.

"Are any of them swords or knives that can cut through steel like paper?"

"Well-"

"Then I'm not interested," she said, practicing her katas with the sword.

"You might be. This one says it's from 'Jewish Santa,'" Nat said. Coral broke out of her gift induced haze to take a look at it. The handwriting looked familiar for some reason but she couldn't figure out what it was. She untied the fasteners and revealed a gorgeous M1030 motorcycle with retro-reflective panels and sound dampeners. In short, it was the perfect vehicle for the teenaged spy. She tentatively draped herself across the bike, as though afraid she would pass through it like a cloud. Closing her eyes as her cheek pressed against the leather seat, she sighed before opening her eyes again and turning to her teammates.

"Okay. Spill. Who got me this?" she asked and all of them shrugged and shook their heads. "J.A.R.V.I.S.? Any of their heartbeats increase?"

"No, though I should warn you I have never caught Agent Romanoff in the act," J.A.R.V.I.S. said.

"Well, then who put it under the Menorah Tree?" she asked, gesturing to their tree made of multiple menorahs welded together.

"I cannot say," J.A.R.V.I.S. said.

"What?"

"My security footage and protocols were compromised for a space of approximately fifteen minutes between 8:30 and 8:45 PM."

"We were all having dinner then," Tony said.

"Did anyone get up or leave the dining room during that timeframe?" Nat asked.

"No, Ms. Romanoff." Coral furrowed her brow and cocked her head, before going to check the stockings. Tony got Cristiano Ronaldo's autograph, Steve got a professional sketching set, Bruce got a realistic robotic puppy, Nat got a real kitten, and Clint got a deluxe signed copy of the Blade Runner movie. All labeled Jewish Santa.

"Who left these?" Coral asked. And for once, no one had any idea who it could be.

* * *

"Did they like them?"

"Loved them."

"Good."

"… The Council doesn't want them to know, Coulson. Especially not Coral."

"I know, Nick."

"If I could-"

"I know."

"One day-"

"Nick… it's okay. At least I'm alive and able to keep an eye on her. If she never sees me again, maybe she can at least move on. She deserves a happy life, even if I can't be in it."


	15. A Year in the Life

**A/N: Hi, so I meant to have this out when Guardians Vol 2 came out; sorry. But I have most of the next 3 chapters written. Warning, this has not been BETA read. Feel free to point out any flaws.**

A Year in the Life

January 2013

 **Thwack!**

"Ow."

 **Thwack!**

"Ow."

 **Thwack!**

"Ow, okay, stop!" Clint said, throwing his hands up. "I can't do this, we both know you're better than me already."

"Then this means you need the practice even more than I do," Coral said, practice sword resting on her shoulder as Clint rolled his back.

"Yeah, Clint," Tony said from where he watched, munching on popcorn. "Don't be such a-" Coral cocked an eyebrow at him as she took her practice sword off her back, "weakling," Tony finished lamely.

"You're welcome to jump in at any time, Tony," Clint said back, rubbing his neck. "Why do you even fight with a sword? No one's fought with swords since Rogers was considered young."

"1) Says the guy with a bow and arrow. 2) Tell that to Mother Night. She's old-fashioned like that," she said.

"Well, if you need a challenge as much as Barton needs a break, I might have the solution to both your problems," Tony said. He brought out his pad and with a few keystrokes the wall panel moved away to reveal an Ironman like robot, who walked into the ring, picked up Clint's sword, and bowed.

"I thought you destroyed all of the Ironman suits?" Coral said, both hesitant and eager.

"That's an Iron Legion suit. Try to keep up, King," Tony called, nodding his head to the door where Clint quickly followed. Coral shook her head; Pepper would not be happy about this. _But_ , Coral considered, swinging her sword and bowing back to the drone, who straightened up and readied to fight, _at least it saves an Avenger a beating_.

* * *

February 2013

"So, explain to me why you haven't called Betty Ross again?" Coral asked.

"I told you, she's better off without me," Bruce said. "Even if I do have everything decently under control, I'm not going to drag her into this life."

"It's not dragging, it's just reopening channels," Coral said, but he just gave her a look. "All I'm saying is that she's a grown woman who can make her own decisions and when I talked to Jane Foster, she said she would've preferred at least a goodbye letter before Thor left." Banner frowned.

"When did you talk to Doctor Foster?" he asked.

"You do realize since Coulson… I'm the Avengers' liaison between you guys and everyone else, right?" she said. Banner chose not to comment on her pause. "Plus, she gets S.H.I.E.L.D. funding for her work and her intern is one of the few non-Chimera young people I know. We get coffee whenever they're in New York. Which isn't often but still." Banner shook his head. "If I can manage to wrestle a coffee date with an astrophysicist and her hyperactive intern, you can call Betty." Banner rolled his eyes at her.

"You're gonna keep bugging me until I call her, aren't you."

"Just reminding you, Phil."

He froze and looked up at that, but she didn't seem to notice her slip up. He mentally went through his options and settled on 'gather more data and test hypothesis at a later date; for now, placating is the best course of action.'

* * *

March 2013

 _Black Widow and Hawkeye are Scouts (will layout the land for Cap) and act as the envoy when we need to get people out of a situation fast. Strengths: Work well together. Hawkeye: great foresight/ranged abilities. Black Widow: cleverest, most willing to do anything to win. Weaknesses: Each other. Hawkeye: Doesn't do as well in hand-to-hand. Black Widow: Doesn't trust teammates._

 _Ironman/J.A.R.V.I.S. also act as scouts and probes, leading the charge to the objective. Strengths: Selflessness. Weaknesses: Volatile. Self-Obsessed. Plays better with others but still doesn't listen to/consider teammates much._

 _Captain America is the leader and strategist, if he goes down we all do; to be protected at all costs. On the offensive, he is best used for taking care of goons and head honchos. Works well with Thor and Ironman when they aren't all being idiots. Strengths: Pure unadulterated drive to do good. Weaknesses: Pure unadulterated drive to do good leads to all-or-nothing situations. Can't refuse hand-to-hand challenge against bad-guys._

 _Thor (should he return) shall be the main hitter and Linebacker in most situations, taking down high threats like turrets, tanks, Leviathans, etc. Strengths: Strength, Selfless, Forgiving. Weaknesses: Tries to give the bad guys opportunities to surrender that leave him vulnerable._

 _The Viper will act as a "Jack-Of-All-Trades," going between scouting, civilian duty, and whatever the Captain demands of her. Strengths: Versatile, can help balance out everyone. Weaknesses: Weakest link of the Avengers, likely to be captured, used against them._

 _Doctor Banner is the medic and The Hulk is Code Green Backup, only to be used against the most challenging opponents and enemies, away from populated areas. Strengths: Banner's mind. Hulk's Strength. Weaknesses: Banner's low self-confidence/anxiety. Hulk's volatile nature._

"Whatcha workin' on, kiddo?" Natasha said. Coral pushed one of her notepads across the table to her fellow spy, not looking up from her pad. "I thought this stuff was Steve's job."

"Well, he's busy with S.H.I.E.L.D. stuff, so I thought I could just lend a helping hand," Coral said, still not looking up. "Plus, I'm technically supposed to be training you guys in teamwork and since I so rarely have you guys in one place, I figure I have to settle for figuring out you guys separately together."

Nat took a deep breath before replying, "You know, you have nothing to prove. You can take some time off-"

"To do what?" Coral almost snapped. "This is all I have. This is all I am. I'll think about having a life when Chimera is gone for good." She turned back to her work and Nat just sighed, before leaving Coral to her work. They had a lot of work cut out for them.

* * *

April 2013

"Pepper… Pepper, no, I understand sunlight and exercise are good for normal human beings, but I think we can agree that I am not normal… So- Oh, come on, it was barely a week. Yes, I know I said I was gonna be better… Pep- Pepper! Pepper, please don't hang up, don't leave me with these people!" Tony cried desperately into his phone but to no avail. Pepper Potts hung up, leaving him in the custody of the bemused Coral King and Steve Rogers, as punishment for not leaving the lab for a week.

"Lighten up, Stark. It's a sunny spring day in Central Park and you don't have respiratory issues or heart problems anymore," Steve said, slapping him on the back and causing Tony to almost fall over.

"Yeah, Tony, when's the last time you were in Central Park anyway?" Coral asked.

"May of 2012, and at least Bruce had the decency to be there with me," Tony pouted as he was marched by the dynamic over to Bethesda Terrace on their walk down memory lane.

"If it makes you feel better, I'm working on finding blackmail for him," Coral said.

"Good. He should share in my suffering." Coral and Steve rolled their eyes at him.

"Honestly, Steve, I think he's just bitter over the fact no one's recognized him," Coral grinned.

"Untrue! Those Chinese tourists wanted a selfie-"

"They thought you were a Tony Stark impersonator," Coral said. Tony crumpled.

"Can't you just let me live in ignorance," Tony asked.

"I thought you knew everything," Steve said.

Tony refused to dignify that with an answer.

Though he would never admit it, Tony had a nice time, as did the rest of the assembled Avengers. There were a few people who did recognize him and he happily gave them photos and autographs, and he had fun posing with Avengers cosplayers at the fountain. Cap enjoyed seeing all the artists' works, though he didn't end up asking out the lady who had a rather fantastic picture of President FDR as his dog, Scottie. Coral was only a blur, seeming to be everywhere and doing everything: feeding the ducks popcorn at the pond, playing with some kids Avengers, blowing gigantic bubbles, taking selfies from increasingly possible angles, poses, and locations. Somehow, they ended up on the grass, Steve and Coral working to untangle their Ironman kite, while Tony sat back and digested his hot dog next to an old guy in a pair of aviators.

"She's sweet," the guy said and Tony shrugged.

"Yeah."

"How long has she been with you?"

"Less than two years."

"It's a different thing. Kids," the man clarified. "They see the world very differently.

"I think it's the height thing," Tony said. "Everything looks bigger and cooler when you look up to everyone." Cap came back over as Coral took off, pursued by a bunch of kids determined to get her kite ("Look! It lights up and makes the noises and everything!") and took a deep drink from a reusable water bottle from the basket as he laid out on the blanket Tony insisted they bring so as to not dirty his Armani suit.

"I have the stamina of a twenty-year-old, yet she still manages to out-do me," Steve said. He took note of the old man. "Oh, hello, I'm Steve Rogers," he said, shaking the other man's hand.

"You know, I knew a guy named Steve Rogers. He was short though. Puny thing."

"Really?" Tony asked, suddenly interested in the old man as Rogers rolled his eyes. "Know what happened to him?" The man grew somber.

"Not sure. He was a skinny thing, so even if the draft didn't get him, it would've been the polio."

"Or maybe he got frozen in time for seventy years," Tony said and Steve facepalmed as the man laughed.

"Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest with everything that's happened recently. Can you imagine? Aliens, superheroes. Next thing you know, Nazis will be rising from the dead!" the man said. He then perked up and waved to an old woman holding two ice cream cones. "My other half is calling, I'd better get going." Steve moved to help him get up but the guy waved him off. "Thanks for humoring an old guy. For what it's worth, it looks to me like the little girl makes you two as happy as you two do each other," the old man said, patting them on the arms before walking away. Tony seemed to catch what the man was thinking a bit later than usual.

"Oh, we're not a-"

"Let's go, muffin," Steve smiled, leading Tony away as he spluttered.

* * *

May 2013

"It's beautiful," Coral said, surveying the Memorial Statue made for the top of Grand Central Station, which pictured the everyday heroes of the Battle of Manhattan.

"We suggested there be a guy in a suit, but the designer said it threw off the 'aesthetic,'" Clint scoffed.

"But we convinced him to put this on the back," Nat said, gesturing to the side that would not be visible to the public. Coral quickly moved that way and pressed her hand to the inscription.

He Gave Us Something to Avenge: May Phil Coulson's Memory Be for a Blessing

"It's perfect," Coral said, managing to keep her voice from cracking. "He wouldn't have fit in on the statue anyway; he was a behind-the-scenes man."

* * *

June 2013

"The world's changing at an exponential rate," Coral said into her voice recorder. She'd started mapping out advancements, appearances, and possibilities of Enhanced individuals and technologies, partially out of duty and to help Fury keep an eye on things, mostly because she was bored. "Newest addition: Cybertek Technologies. Aside from having a semi-redundant name, they have just announced the completed construction of the Cybertek Prosthetic Leg. Prosthetics are nothing new of course, Tony has been looking into using the Ironman suits as prosthetics for disabled veterans. But it's important to remember that just as they can be used for the good of humanity, they can be used to its detriment. While the Ironman suit is still most likely years away from being replicable by anyone not named Stark, prosthetics could enhance regular humans' strength, speed, durability, and even fighting skills if they are pre-programed. If the technology is allowed to advance enough, these people could give the Avengers a decent fight. Of course, there is the benefit of us being EMP proof, but still. Hardly a comforting thought."

 _Nuclear power plants could become bombs. Food aid could turn into leverage over starving people. The threat of losing shelter or love could lead to people being forced to stay in bad relationships_ , Coral thought to herself. But then she glanced at the picture of Coulson on her desk and turned to the optimistic view.

"However, Cybertek Technologies has done some work with S.H.I.E.L.D. John Garrett even vouched for them after they gave him life-saving operations back in the 90s. Any technology or advancement has the potential to be used for great good and terrible evil. In short, it's advisable to an eye on the technology. Nothing more, nothing less."

* * *

July 2013

"You mean you grew up in the era of Swing and you don't know how to _dance_? You are a disappointment to your country, Captain Rogers!" Coral cried.

"I think my shiny medal of honor would beg to differ," Rogers said, throwing the baseball back toward her. They technically weren't supposed to be playing catch indoors, but the windows were reinforced and they weren't using full strength (or at least, Rogers wasn't) so they felt they could get away with it so long as J.A.R.V.I.S. didn't rat them out to Pepper.

"You mean the one you couldn't even bother to receive in person?"

"Hey, I was fighting a world war! I had to prioritize," he said.

"Still, you're telling me in your twenty years preceding the war, you never learned?"

"So, you mean to tell me _you_ can swing dance?"

" _Duh_. Coulson and I used to go to classes whenever we could but…"

"Ah."

Silence.

"Well if you really want, I guess I could learn a few dances," Steve said.

"Alright, while Swing might be a bit much for you, I can teach you the basic steps. Plus, I know some moves that elementary school kids can do, so you should be good."

She spent the rest of the day introducing Captain America to Postmodern Jukebox and teaching him all the need-to-know songs and moves: Cha-cha slide, Cupid Shuffle, Soulja boy, Lip Gloss, Jerk, Teach Me How To Dougie, Apple Bottom Jeans, Gangnam Style, Time Warp, Macarena, YMCA, Twist, Conga, the Chicken Dance, and the Hokey Pokey.

If she happened to have a camera hidden so that she could use the footage for blackmail, that was her business.

* * *

August 2013

"There's been a rise in vigilantism since the Avengers," Coral said, half-talking to Bruce, half-thinking aloud as she made more notes to Fury. "Just this month a suspected abuser was beaten into hospitalization. His wife and daughter have just gone back on their original claims of his innocence and are suing for divorce, full custody, and a restraining order."

"Good for them," Bruce said, but he stopped when he noticed her pursed lips. "What's wrong?"

"Good and evil are usually pretty easy for me to discern. But now… the police didn't handle the situation, so does that make beating another human being into a pulp okay?" she asked. Bruce put down his tools and carefully patted her shoulder.

"Not everything we're taught is wrong is _always_ wrong. If I could've stopped my father from hurting my mother, I would've done it," he told her and she stared at him for a long moment. He looked away eventually and got back to work, though Coral could tell it was more to look busy than to actually keep busy.

"I'll keep an eye out for this blindfolded vigilante," she said.

"To arrest him?" Bruce asked.

"To thank him," she said and he smiled.

Heroes came in many forms and colors after all.

* * *

September 2013

"Looks like vigilantism isn't the only thing on the rise," Coral informed Nat during one of their sparring sessions, keeping the rhythm of the blocks and punches. "Enhanced people are either becoming more numerous or more known." _block block punch._ "Just this week, we had Mike Peterson 'The Hooded Hero.'" _punch punch block._ "Though he turned out the previously unknown Centipede Project's attempt at a superhero, there are plenty of others popping up." _block punch punch block._ "A woman vigilante with super strength, a Purple Man with mind control powers, the list goes on-" Nat managed to disrupt the rhythm enough to flip Coral over her shoulder, but Coral just cartwheeled away and back into position.

"Those are just Urban Legends," Nat said, doing high kicks as Coral practiced evasions.

"But what if they aren't?" Coral asked, moving her head from side to side before going down into the splits. "People still don't believe in the Winter Soldier, but you and I know better." Coral blocked Natasha's blow, still in the splits, before swinging her leg around to trip Nat. Coral attempted to pin her down, but Nat flipped her off and they got back into fighting stance. "It's S.H.I.E.L.D.'s job to look up on both potential threats and crisis and these people could be either one or both." Deciding they'd trained enough, the two bowed and headed for the coolers.

"Most of those people just want to live their lives and therefore stay under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar," Nat said, taking a deep drink from her bottle as she wiped sweat off her neck. "However, if you want to start surveying them yourself, I doubt anyone will stop you."

"I wasn't thinking so much like that. More like… recruiting?" Coral offered. Nat snorted.

"I think we need to focus on perfecting our current roster before adding to it."

"Well, I could do that if someone could get you people in the same room once in a while," Coral groaned. Nat punched her shoulder.

"Chin up kid. Enjoy the quiet while it lasts."

* * *

October 2013

"King, you're not authorized to be here!" Grant Ward cried, but quickly got knocked back by the determined Coral King, who strode up to Melinda May.

"Is it true? You found her?" Coral asked. May just nodded and sidestepped to give Coral uninhibited view of the agent who was essentially the sister she had never met.

"Akela Amador?" Coral asked. The one-eyed, haunted looking woman glanced up. "My name is-"

"Coral King. I may have been held hostage for the past seven years, but even I know who you are." Coral went in for a handshake, but Akela was still skittish and backed away, so Coral laid off. She turned to May.

"And we're arresting her?" she said, failing to keep the disgust out of her voice.

"You know the rules, King."

"She was no more a willing servant of Centipede than I was of Chimera."

"She still killed people. Chances are, she'll spend five years in prison tops, and then SHIELD will cut her a deal of probation for her service."

"I won't take it," Akela cut in. May and Coral turned to her. "I'm through with this life. I'm thankful for everything Coulson did, but this life has brought me nothing but pain. I don't care if I end up in prison, it's probably what I deserve, but I'm through killing people. I don't care which side it's for," she finished. Both Coral and May glanced at each other, before looking away. They both understood what she was going through.

Coral then took a business card out of her pocket and said, "Jennifer Walters; she's the best lawyer you could ask for. Tell her to charge it on me."

Akela looked a little overwhelmed, but managed to choke out, "Thank you."

"No problem," Coral said. "Coulson would want me to look after you, even if he couldn't." Ward went to drag her away, but Coral called back at the last minute. "He never stopped looking for you!" Akela furrowed her brow. "Coulson… he never gave up on you,"

"I know," Akela looked a bit confused as she said that, but Grant Ward dragged her away before anyone could inquire more.

Coral turned to a frowning May. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked, half-sarcastic, half-serious.

"No. You did something like Coulson is all," May said. Coral shrugged.

"Someone has to be… It _is_ good to see you again," Coral said. "I still can't believe they convinced you to get back in the field."

"Like you said, someone has to fill Coulson's shoes when he can't," May almost smiled. Coral nodded and saluted, heading out.

"Call me if you ever need anything; I could use an actual assignment!"

* * *

November 2013

Thor

 **Ding dong!**

Darcy opened the door of her and Jane's apartment to find a disheveled Coral swaying on her feet. "Is Thor here?" she asked.

"You need a pick-me-up," was all Darcy said before heading to her kitchen. "I've got coffee, tea, beer-"

"Tea would be fine. Ginger if you have it. I had a rough flight from New York," Coral said, colors other than green starting to return to her face as she flopped onto the couch and saluted a seated Selvig.

"What, got stuck next to a baby in coach?" Darcy asked as she heaved the kettle onto the stove.

"More like crossed the Atlantic in record time," Coral asked. Darcy frowned.

"Did S.H.I.E.L.D. really not have anyone closer?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D… doesn't exactly know I'm here," Coral admitted and Darcy smiled.

"You've gone rogue! Good for you! … Wait, does this mean no one got my calls and messages?" Darcy asked. "I've been trying to contact you guys for days!"

"Why, what happened?" Coral asked and Darcy sighed, aggravated.

"Jane went through some kind of portal thing and was gone for hours though she swore it was only minutes, and then Thor comes back but she's repelling his rain somehow and then she released an energy burst that broke all the windows and he took her up his rainbow bridge so I had to walk back to my apartment because _someone_ threw our car keys into the portal," Darcy said, directing that last comment toward the young man who was holding Selvig's things.

"So, you have no idea where they are?" Coral summarized.

"No. But I may be able to find out where they will be," Selvig said.

As though spirited there by a magic genie wish, Jane Foster and Thor waltzed right through the door. "Jane!" Darcy said, hugging her friend. "Hey. You can't just leave like that. The whole world is going crazy. All the stuff we saw is spreading."  
"Erik? Coral?" Thor asked, confused but clearly glad. Coral smiled and hugged Thor quickly before making room for Selvig, averting her eyes when she realized he wasn't wearing pants.

"Where are your pants?" Thor asked.

"Oh, he, uh… He says it helps him think," said the male intern.

"Okay, well, I'm going to need everything you got on this. All the work you've been doing on gravimetric anomalies, everything,"

"Are you well, Erik?" Thor asked. Selvig nodded then hesitated.

"Your brother's not coming, is he?"

"… Loki is dead," Thor said.

"Oh, thank God!" Thor gave him a look like a kicked puppy. "I… I meant, I'm so sorry."

"Thank you."

A while later, they had all their maps, materials, and notes laid out.

"Malekith is going to fire the Aether at a spot where all the nine worlds are connecting. Amplifying the weapon's impact. For each additional world, the power will increase exponentially. The effect would be universal," Jane said.

"But the Alignment is only temporary. He must be in exactly the right place at the right time," Thor said.

"Well, how do we know where that is?" Jane asked.

"We follow the directions. This has happened before thousands of years ago, and the Ancients were there to see it. All the great constructions, the Mayans, the Chinese, the Egyptians. They made use of the gravitational effects of the Convergence. And they left us a map. Stonehenge, Snowdon, the Great Orme. These are all coordinates taking us to…" Selvig said, drawing lines between the monuments to one spot in England. "Greenwich?"

"The walls between worlds will be almost non-existent. Physics is going to go ballistic. Increases and decreases in gravity, spatial extrusions. The very fabric of reality is going to be torn apart." Thor summoned Mjölnir from its place on the coat rack. Coral unsheathed her sword.

"I better get my pants," Selvig said.

"No, I'm serious, Thor's back, the Realms of the Universe are converging, and I need agents here and now! Ye- Yes, I know I'm technically not supposed to be here but- but- seriously, you're more concerned over my breach of orders than the fact the universe may be ending?!" Coral cried from the top of her perch on a building of the Old Royal Naval College. "Yes sir. Understood sir. I'll be here sir." She hung up and did her best to hold in a scream. "'Stay where you are and wait for further instruction.' You didn't even know what was going on until I told you," Coral ranted. Watching the scientists running around, putting the spikes in place, she shook her head and said, "Screw it." Like hell she was going to let civilians do all the work of saving the day. She sent a message to the Royal Air Force, police, fire department, emergency services to let them know the situation, before grappling down from her vantage point and turning on the fire alarms for all the buildings. Time to get to work, Ms. Civilian Duty.

Turns out, Civilian Duty could be very tiring. Idiotic people cared more about getting a picture of Thor than their immediate safety and the Royal Air Force ships and missiles got redirected in by the gravity changes.

The strangest occurrence happened when she was fighting Dark Elves. One moment she was fighting the Dark Elf hordes, the next she turned her weapon on what she thought was an elf, but what was really Ophelia Sarkissian.

"What are you doing here?!" they shouted at each other.

"I asked you first," they said together again. Sighing

"I'll put my weapon down if you do," Ophelia said.

"You first," Coral said.

 _ **Click.**_

"No, I think you," Sinthea said from behind Coral, gun pressed to the back of the Avenger's skull. Coral grit her teeth and exhaled angrily, but threw her sword down.

"Like the sword," Ophelia said, picking it up and trying it out.

"You won't like it as much when you find out its tricks," Coral said. "Shock 'em!" The sword, recognizing the voice command of its true owner, sent an electric bolt into the handle. Ophelia dropped it, shocked, and Coral disarmed Sinthea, catching her sword before it hit the ground in the same move. "What are you doing here?" Coral demanded, pointing both weapons at her former friends.

"Same as you. Ordered to survey the situation, see if it harms, benefits, or does not affect Chimera's plans," Ophelia said. The corner of Coral's mouth twitched, small enough that no one who didn't know her would see it. Ophelia saw. "You weren't ordered here," she noted. "Haven't seen you lately. Haven't even heard of your missions. What's wrong? Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. don't want their pet getting out?" Coral opened her mouth to answer but was cut off by the appearance of more Dark Elves. Throwing the gun back to Ophelia to free her hand and make sure the young assassins could defend themselves, she sliced and hacked limbs and heads from the Dark Elves bodies, leaving the horde decimated. Just as she turned to her friends to thank them for not shooting her, gravity decided to follow Dr. Foster's warnings and increase, sending all three of the young assassins to the ground. It felt like an elephant, no, a blue whale was lying on her, she could almost feel her ribs cracking with the force. Coral begged for it to stop attempting to crawl away as blue energy seemed to surround them, when the trio suddenly seemed to fall through the Earth itself, only to find themselves, in an icy frozen mountainous wasteland of perpetual darkness.

Gravity back to normal, the trio stood and after surveying their surroundings, went right back to fighting hand-to-hand. Though Sinthea and Ophelia had obviously been spending more time in the field than her, Coral had had more training time, meaning she blocked and avoided their blows with relative ease. The trio stopped as they heard a roar and turned to see blue giants and a pale beast with tusks, a tail, and spiked cranium. The assassins turned their guns on the beast but they did little to stop its advancing. Coral looked over the edge to see the same blue energy as before. Willing to take the leap of faith, she pulled Ophelia and Sinthea over the ledge with her and they fell through a portal into another realm.

This one was also made of icy fogs and mists and cold, but it was a bit brighter, more white than dark blue, and seemed lighter, somehow, as though they were floating here, free from all worries, sufferings, and restraints of their world. That floating feeling quickly turned into a falling feeling and they found themselves rolling down the black sands of a land with skies of greenish grey brown.

Spitting the ashy tasting earth from her mouth, Coral charged at her friends the moment they were on level ground, wrapping her arms and legs around their necks and attempting to roll them to the ground. But before they hit the earth, they fell again.

They kept falling this time, through the Misty Mountains of Middle Earth, Mustafar, a kingdom of enchanted forests, candy vegetation, rivers and springs of wine, and beautiful gardens, and a land of vast forests, fields, and planes, with wooden villages and citizens that were vaguely Asian. They eventually fell onto the sands of a beach, where.

"Stop! Look where we are!" Ophelia cried. Sinthea and Coral looked up to see a city of gold, a castle that looked like a gilded pipe organ, by a sea that dropped off to the edge of a galaxy and the crystalline bridge that glowed like a rainbow.

"Oh shit. We're in Asgard," Sinthea said.

"The other Chimera agents will never believe us. You know how obsessed they are with this stuff," Ophelia said and Coral nodded. Every scientist in S.H.I.E.L.D. would kill to get a chance to glimpse this place. "You have your phone, right?" Ophelia asked.

"I think I lost mine when we were rolling down the black sandy realm," Sinthea said. Ophelia turned to Coral, who was already taking pictures.

"I'll send them to you," Coral said.

"That would require me giving you my number," Ophelia said.

"Just a number technically," Coral pointed out, but Ophelia still hesitated. "I won't use it against you. I promise."

"Your superiors won't be happy if they find out."

"My superiors can go to Hel," Coral said. Ophelia snorted.

"Now that sounds like the Coral I know." They smiled at each other but quickly turned away. "We should get back before the portals close."

"Should we try jumping?" Sinthea scoffed. Coral looked at Ophelia who shrugged.

"On three. One. Two. Three!" They jumped and fell through the earth once again. Only this time, they fell back to Earth. Or rather Midgard. Landing hard on the pavement, Coral shot up and went to find the Doctors, Interns, and God.

"Can those things stop him?" Thor asked, gesturing to the anomaly manipulators.

"Not from here. We can't get close enough," Jane said.

"I can," was all Thor said, before taking them up and heading into the Aether.

As each blip of the manipulators appeared on the screen, Jane Foster turned the dial and sent another limb of Malekith's into another realm. Finally, Mjölnir zoomed past, there was a catastrophic boom that rocked the earth, and the Aether dissipated with Malekith gone from the Realm. Jane, Coral, and the others raced into the square to find Thor unconscious… and the dark elves ship beginning to fall.

"Thor!" Jane cried, racing over to him. Coral tried to follow her, but Ophelia and Sinthea held her back. They all watched as Jane attempted to drag him out of the impact area, but it became apparent she wasn't strong or fast enough to do so. Still she covered Thor's body with her own… only for the ship to vanish. They looked up to see Selvig finish turning off the triggers, having used the anomaly manipulator to transport the ship elsewhere.

"Everybody okay?" he asked.

Thor and Jane sighed.

Ian and Darcy went back to making out.

Coral turned to her friends, only to find they'd vanished once again.

"King, what the _fuck_ was that about-"

"I'm an Agent, Fury! If I'm going to do my job, you have to let me. I was patient, I have spent the past fifteen months waiting on the sidelines like a good little benchwarmer, but I'm more than that! You said you wanted my help in taking down Chimera. Either you do or you don't, but I won't be strung alone anymore," Coral said, getting ready to storm out of Nick Fury's office in the Triskelion.

"King, wait," Fury said and Coral exhaled, aggravated, but turned around. "You're right. I've been holding you at arm's length when I should've been playing this close to the chest. I will share everything I know for sure, on the condition that when I call you to take them down you will drop everything and be prepared for deep cover."

Coral didn't even hesitate before nodding.

* * *

December 2013

"Finally! All of the Avengers gathered in one place! I can finally do my job!" Coral cried.

"But at what cost?" Tony replied, raising his handcuffed wrist as well as Steve Roger's similarly handcuffed one.

"The fact that you cannot get out of those shows how much you have to learn," Coral said, holding up her own handcuffed wrists. As she watched them work to figure out the best way of breaking their bonds (usually either dislocating wrists or finding a weak/leverage point), she replayed Fury's words in her head: _Chimera is not just a group, it's a part of a whole larger conspiracy. The Centipede Project, Cybertek, remnants of the KGB, they're working with Chimera and they're all getting help. Senators, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, maybe even members of the World Security Council are in on this. Trust no one._

Shaking herself out of it, she clicked off on the timer as the last group (Steve and Tony), got out of their restraints. "Great! Record time. You might actually live through captivity. Now, let's see you handle an escort mission. From the top."


	16. Surprise

**A/N: I was gonna publish this yesterday... then my dog broke into my room and ate a bunch of chocolate and vitamins. She's fine, just stupid, which is nothing new. Thanks for reading and please review!**

Surprise

26 January 2014

"You needed to see me, Boss?" Coral asked, polite, though with slight urgency. She had a four-hour drive from DC to Manhattan, had already been at the office for twelve days straight, and wanted to spend the night before/morning of her sixteenth birthday in her _own_ bed.

"Just wanted an update on Chimera before you leave. Find any patterns in their bases, yet?" Hill asked.

"Not yet; the algorithm's doing its thing, someone will alert me if it finds something. Anything else?" she asked.

"Oh yeah. Happy Birthday," Maria offered, putting a basket of goodies on the desk for Coral to see.

"I honestly didn't think anyone would remember," she smiled, looking over the gifts.

"The iPhone case and wireless earbuds are from me; the case makes the phone operable everywhere from 1000 ft. below sea level to the top of Mount Everest and the earbuds can be used to listen in on conversations. The exercise gear's from Bobby, Hartley, and Mac I think. This is from May obviously," Hill said, gesturing to the tea, yoga, tai chi, and guided meditation materials. "And uh, apparently, Coulson got this for you before he died," she said, handing her a jewelry case. Coral opened it and froze. "We figured you'd want it." Coral closed her eyes, shut the case, set it on the desk, and leveled a stare at her superior.

"Maria, I'm not eight, I know who Jewish Santa really is." Maria frowned the tiniest bit, so small only people who knew her would see it. "I mean, last year was a high definition Blu-Ray box set of the original _Star Wars_ trilogy theatrical releases that somehow unearthed itself right before my 15th birthday? And now this?" Coral states, gesturing to the case.

"In my defense, it was Fury's idea." Coral chuckled grimly and rolled her eyes.

"Why am I not surprised?" Maria surveyed the young woman for a moment.

"How are you? Really?"

Coral sighed through her nose and sat on the edge of the desk. "Denial lasted about an hour, anger carried me through the Battle of Manhattan, bargaining was from after Thor left to a week or two after the funeral, and of course, you witnessed depression. I think I've accepted it. I mean, I don't like it. There's no _good_ way to die, but I think in the end… he was alright. Sure, it wasn't _short_ or _painless_ , but, uh, at least it was _for_ something, right? That's how he would've wanted it. If not him being retired and warm in his bed with a wife and a bunch of grandkids around-" she stopped and Hill stepped forward.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"No. I'm okay." Coral waved her off. She picked up the case and opened it, staring at the replica of Buffy Summers' cross necklace. She turned it over, the phrase, 'The hardest thing in this world… is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me,' engraved on the back. She shut the lid with a snap and handed it to Maria. "It's cute, but I'm sixteen. Kind of the age where 'cute' becomes 'childish,' you know? Hope you can get the return on it." Then she swept out, leaving a rather stunned Maria Hill in her wake.

* * *

Coral pulled her bike up to the back entrance of Stark Tower, parking it in the garage below. Yet when she put her hand to the biometric scanner to let her in, it beeped and turned red.

"You are not permitted to access this area," J.A.R.V.I.S. said. Coral's jaw almost dropped.

"Wha- J.A.R.V.I.S.!" she cried, pounding on the door and trying the panel again. "J.A.R.V.I.S., come on, I'm tired. Can't I just go upstairs and sleep?"

No answer.

"Alright, you asked for it," Coral said, putting on her glasses and photostatic glove. Imitating Tony Stark's hand print, she used it to override J.A.R.V.I.S.'s controls and get the elevator working.

* * *

"J.A.R.V.I.S. this isn't my fl-, you know what, never mind, I could use a snack," Coral sighed, the elevator having stopped at the communal kitchen a few floors below her floor. "Lights on," she said, but the lights stayed out. "Okay, J.A.R.V.I.S., why are the lights out? Did the arc reactor give out finally?"

" _Did the arc reactor give out?"_ cried Tony's indignant voice, but he was quickly cut off by shushes and a _**thwack!**_

She turned the corner into the public kitchen/dining area to find all of them, Nat, Clint, Steve, Tony, Bruce, and Thor, standing there, a cake with sixteen candles held between them.

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, dear Coral! Happy Birthday to you!" they all sang, very out of tune and not at all together, yet it was music to her ears.

"You guys remembered my birthday?" she murmured.

"You thought we'd forget?" Clint said disbelievingly.

"Plus, sixteen's a big year," Nat grinned and Coral beamed right back.

"To be fair, I've heard stories about some of Pepper's birthdays-"

"Look, we've already established I'm no good at birthdays, that's why I let Pepper handle them!" Tony cried.

"You just forgot to pass that on to her," Coral chuckled.

"Will you hurry up and blow out the candles already? I want cake!" Clint demanded.

Coral rolled her eyes fondly, looked over her coral colored cake illuminated by the flames of sixteen candles, thought a moment about her life, and took a deep breath.

" _ **Do what you want, 'cause a pirate lives free, / YOU ARE A PIRATE! / Yar har, fiddle di dee, / Being a pirate is alright to be, / Do what you want 'cause a pirate lives free, / You are a pirate!"**_

The Avengers frowned and went to check their phones.

"Don't bother; it's mine," Coral assured them, before taking out her cell. "Yeah?"

"We got a hit," Fury's voice informed her. She stiffened. His tone said this was _the_ Hit; the Hit that could end it all. So, she turned to try and get a little more privacy in a room full of heroes and spies.

"How soon do you want me?" she asked.

"Preferably three minutes ago. But now will do."

"Alright then."

"Will that be an issue?" he asked. Coral glanced at the confused and concerned assembled Avengers, but shook her head gently.

"No," she said. "How long will it be?"  
"Unknown. But pack for a few months to be safe."

"Alright."

"Head out. A Quinjet will catch up with you once you're clear of the city."

"Okay. Talk to you later," she said, hanging up. She turned back to the Avengers and took a deep breath before speaking. "Something's come up. I have to go." She moved toward the stairs, knowing Tony would probably order J.A.R.V.I.S. to lock down the elevator.

"Go?" Bruce said, Tony spluttering as realization dawned on Nat, Clint, Steve, and Thor's faces. They all followed her, Thor holding the still-candlelit cake.

"Fury called, he needs me on something," she explained, hiking up the stairs even as her body, stomach, and soul protested.  
"Just you?" Nat raised an eyebrow and Coral couldn't help but bristle a bit.

"Believe it or not, I am actually a _very_ good agent."

"When you're not pulling pranks or disobeying orders," Steve said. That too rubbed her in the wrong way.

"Very funny. But if I'm going to do my job, I gotta go _now_."

"But… cake! Presents!" Clint cried indignantly.

"Can wait," she said. "Help yourselves. I'll take us all out for ice cream once this is done."

"I think you're forgetting the point of a birthday; it's other people doing things for _you_ ," Tony pointed out.

"Then you can take _me_ out for ice cream when this is done. Point is, I gotta go!" she said, bolting up the stairs to her room and shutting the door solidly before throwing the deadbolt as she held back tears. _You have to do this; it's the only way your family will ever be safe._

* * *

"Do you have clean clothes and toiletries?" Nat asked twelve minutes later, securing Coral's duffle to her bike as the team watched in the basement garage.

"Yes," Coral said.

"Survival gear?"

" _Yes_."

"Extra bullets?"

" _Nat!"_ Coral whined indignantly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I know you're sixteen, but you've never been on a solo mission like this. Even with Clan Akkaba, you had Ward watching your back," Nat said, her stoic spy facade slipping a bit. Coral put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I'll be fine, I promise," she said. Nat nodded and pulled her into a quick hug.

"Break their legs," she said. Coral turned to her other teammates who had lined up for their hugs.

"Good luck," Bruce said, Tony patting her on the arm as she embraced the scientist.

"Have fun," Clint said.

"Take care, young Valkyrie," Thor said, lifting her off the ground.

"I will," she assured them. She swung a leg over her bike, kicked it to life, and revved the engine, speeding off into the night with a quick call over her shoulder: "See you all soon!"


	17. Insight into Insight

**A/N: Happy Memorial Day; Hope you're all having a meaningful one. Again, meant to have this out on Friday, but my Comicon left me exhausted and busy. Sorry. And also, sorry for the next few chapters because sh*t hits the fan and boy, is it messy. Also, feel free to point out errors or suggestions, as this has not been BETA read. Thank you, please review, and I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry.  
**

Insight into Insight

"Soon" turned into two months. But it was _the Hit_ that she'd been looking for and since she'd followed it, she'd been taking out Chimera establishments nonstop, Cybertek and Centipede ones too. Yet the moment she took down one, two more seemed to pop up on the other side of the globe.

If nothing else she learned that they were planning something. Something _big_.

* * *

April 2014

She hadn't heard back from Fury in weeks, not since she sent him a message that Chimera agents may have compromised the Lemurian Star. She'd sent him a message about the Chimera's Supreme Headquarters she had finally located two days ago, but was met with no response.

 _Wait another day,_ said one side of her brain. _You're in Latveria, there's a time difference and you know how busy he can get._

 _He's never kept you waiting this long,_ said the other half. _You either do this now or you never will._

Sighing to herself, she surveyed the base with her binoculars: twelve-foot-tall razor wire electric fence with 24-hour guard that never left a spot unguarded for more than two minutes. Only way in was through the 14 foot gates that always had two armed guards on duty, who checked everything from the underside to the topside to the inside to the driver and passengers of every vehicle that entered (always on a schedule too). The complex was underground, at least 16 stories at its deepest if her deductions were correct.

Impossible for one man.

Thankfully she was not a man, but a very small girl who had found a tiny opening: a ventilation shaft, likely leading to a nuclear/invasion security bunker. She'd sent probes to confirm it was clear and large enough for her to get in and out before carefully sliding into it, crawling and climbing down, removing or navigating around the fans as she went.

Carefully removing the vent cover from the opening, she slid from the vent to the bunker and headed out of the enclosure into the main part of the base. She crept through the halls, putting cameras on temporary loops and hiding in the rafters when agents and operatives passed, until she finally came to the room she wanted: the central computer, which contained every byte of data within Chimera's system. It would tell her everything: who their allies were, what they had been working on, when and where their next mission was to, why and how they continued to function no matter how many bases she took down.

This base had perhaps the strangest design she had ever seen; it was like an underground pagoda, in that it was open in the center, with the levels coiling downward like they had been carved out by a giant tunneling snake. At the bottom, was an open area, likely meant to house Quinjets, which could only exit and enter from the main entrance. The laboratories and rooms were more like cells, each one individually and only accessible via the door that led out into the spiraling walkway.

She took out her spy light and looked at the past fingerprints of users on the entry keys of the door: **a** dry **h** il with a space. The A and the H were especially dark, signaling more use than the other letters. She frowned. There was something eating at her about those letters… like they spelled something familiar… yet sinister. Her eyes widened. _It couldn't be… but if it_ was _…_

Dreading the answer, she typed in the phrase. The door clicked. She tentatively crept inside, the passcode blinking on the panel beside the door:

 **HAIL HYDRA**

The door clicked closed behind her. The room appeared to be entirely dominated by a towering computer, HYDRA's logo stamped in the middle of it like the World's Most Sinister Apple Icon.

Steeling her nerves at both the revelation and the fact that she was a Black Jewish girl in the middle of a HYDRA base, she went up to the computer and upon finding it unlocked, started searching for everything.

And boy, did she find it.

Chimera

Centipede

Dozens of other terrorist threats and criminal organizations and Fortune 500 companies

All HYDRA

But then the pieces started coming together.

As she dug deeper and deeper, Coral realized… there were _S.H.I.E.L.D._ files here. From all clearance levels.

Including Level 10, a clearance level held only by Alexander Pierce and Nicholas J. Fury.

She looked up her teammates and fellow agents and found not only their S.H.I.E.L.D. files, but HYDRA operatives' notes on them; their strengths, weakness, fighting styles, if and how they could be manipulated or turned. Names kept popping up in them: Alexander Pierce, Grant Ward, Sitwell, Rumlow and Rollins, John Garrett, Gideon Malick. These were her superiors, her coworkers, her _friends_.

Or so she'd thought.

She just about collapsed when she saw Mother Night's annotations of her own notes on the Avengers. She'd played right into their hands, giving them everything they wanted, spreadsheets of the Avengers weakness, control of most of the world, her own compliance.

It kept getting worse as she delved further into Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s work, having uninhibited access to S.H.I.E.L.D. dirty inner workings for the first time. Her hand covered her mouth when she got to Project T.A.H.I.T.I. Date: 9 May 2012.

"He's drifting."

"This is wrong."

"Can you feel that?"

"Don't," Coulson said, fully conscious as the doctors and machines did their work.

"Listen to him!"

"Stop!"

"Who ordered this?!"

"Director Fury, himself."

"This is wrong."

"Listen to him!"

"Let me die. Please. Please. Please I'm begging you, let me die," Phillip J. Coulson cried out as doctors and machines operated on his exposed brain. "Please. Please, let me die. Let me die please. Let me die! Please! Let me die! Please! Let me die! Please, let me die. Please let me die, Please let me die. Please, let me die. Let me die. Let me die-"

 _ **Click**_

Coral closed the video, one hand over her mouth to cover her dry sobs.

 _Nick, what did you_ do _?_

That's when the thought struck her.

How much did they know?

So, she quickly began searching the essential names in HYDRA's databanks.

Apparently, HYDRA knew a lot more than she did.

Nicholas J. Fury, killed by the Winter Soldier AKA James Buchanan Barnes, was suspected of having been behind the hijacking of the _Lemurian Star_.

Captain Rogers and Natasha Romanoff were now traitors and fugitives of the United States and S.H.I.E.L.D.

Maria Hill: missing since Romanogers went rogue.

Coulson and May headed of a team operating from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Bus, which had been infiltrated by Grant Ward, ready to take them all out at a moment's notice.

And the new Helicarriers were set to take off in less than sixteen hours, meaning the most monstrous organization on Earth would soon have access to weaponry that could take out a quarter of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s watch list in an hour.

Hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people

The President, the Avengers, Civilians

Dead

 _Oh gods._

She moved to erase her history and put the computer back to the way she found it… but stopped.

Pierce was HYDRA.

Which meant.

HYDRA had access to all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files.

Including the ones concerning the locations of the girls displaced by Chimera.

 _Her sisters._

She moved without thinking, plugging her delete drive into the system and looking for the files on her sisters.

They were there.

Ninety girls in all.

All of whose lives depended on their locations being kept secret.

She selected them and moved them to right above the drive… then stopped.

But if she put those files onto the dive… she would never see them again. Nor would she be able to find them and make certain they were out of HYDRA's grasp.

 _But_ … she thought… _I have to try. I have to save them._

She put the files in the delete drive, which would ensure the files would be deleted from the entire database, also corrupting the system so that it would lose any files that held similar information and would hopefully bring down the entirety of HYDRA's database and computer systems for a short amount of time.

It would take a while; the files on each of the girls and their new lives were thick and extensive. But it would be worth the wait.

So long as they were safe.

Meanwhile, she attempted to send a message to Fury, to Cap, Nat, Clint, Hill, anyone, but she was too deep underground. She attempted to patch herself into the system manually, but it was too heavily encrypted for her to break through in the amount of time she had. She was about to risk leaving her delete drive in the computer when she heard voices, likely some HYDRA commander giving a speech in the open hangar area to pump the troops up for world domination. "Head to your posts. The Helicarriers are set to leave in eighteen hours. By this time tomorrow, S.H.I.E.L.D. will have fallen, HYDRA will step into the light, and it will be a new world, ours for the taking," the commander said. "Hail HYDRA."

"Hail HYDRA," the men shouted, the sound echoing through the room. The troops began marching and from the sounds of it, they were posting troops in every room in the base. Coral promptly set the station back to the states she'd found it in, exception being the still-working delete drive and computer, before vanishing into the shadowy rafters, just as the door opened and two troops marched in.

"Do you know what's going on?" said one trooper.  
"Maybe it's another drill," said the other.

The guards stood in silence, as Coral's heartbeat pounded in her ears and she marinated in her own sweat.

"Hey, did you hear the rumors?"  
"Yeah, the T-15s have been marked obsolete."

"Oh boy, it's about time for that."

They continued to discuss inane things and gossip, leaving Coral thinking she might get out of this alive, when one guard asked, "Is the computer supposed to be working on something?"

The other HYDRA guard didn't have time to reply, as Coral landed on the one who spoke, knocking him to the ground.

She turned back to the computer to check the delete drive's progress:

12%

 _Oh come on!_ She thought indignantly. She started dragging the guards to the side, doing her best to fit them into storage panels. Tapping her fingers on her thigh, she realized she should either deadbolt the door or divert power on the base to finishing up her delete drive's work. She opted to increase the power, diverting it from any other HYDRA devices on the premises; it would alert them to her presence, but it would also allow her to send out a message to the Avengers, let them know the truth. The moment she rerouted the power, the lights turned off and turned to the red emergency ones and Coral quickly typed out her message and sent it out, praying it would reach them… only for it to fail to send. She did everything she could to get the message through, but apparently, the HYDRA system only allowed approved messages and files to be sent out. Sighing, Coral turned to leave the delete drive in hopes of getting to the surface in time to send a message-

"What's this?" exclaimed a voice behind her and Coral turned to see a HYDRA guard had walked in on her. "The Viper is here! Repeat, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Viper is-" his call into his communicator was cut off by Coral's kick to his chin, but the damage had been done. Coral attached a grenade to the ceiling of the hall right outside the door, meaning she could hopefully crush any HYDRA agents with rubble if they attempted to enter, which she did a mere three minutes later the moment she heard the battering ram banging down the door. She checked the percentage as she heard a new group begin slicing open the door:

88%

Hurry up hurry up hurry _up._

The door opened and Coral got ready to just shoot whoever was going to walk through-

"That's not how you greet family, child," said a familiar voice, and Coral rounded on a smug Mother Night flanked by Ophelia and Sinthea.

"I almost didn't believe it when they said it. Our Viper has come home," Mother Night smiled.

"This was never home," Coral said, subtly diverting power to lock the door behind them. She could handle these three, but anymore and she would be in real trouble.

"Then where was? S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Mother Night scoffed. "Because if your proximity to the computer is any indication, you already know that they are one in the same."

"No. They aren't. HYDRA may have grown off of S.H.I.E.L.D., but that just makes you a parasite. Not a part of the organization itself."

"But how exactly were we allowed to grow, if not from the environment S.H.I.E.L.D. created?"

"The world wasn't made this way by S.H.I.E.L.D.," Coral shook her head. "They may have contributed, but they were also affected by the changing world. HYDRA, on the other hand, is still the same old Nazi propaganda bullshit you've been spouting since the Forties, just a bit quieter."

"We are not Nazis!" Ophelia shouted, before Mother Night could reply.

"No, you're just a German extremist group from World War II that brainwashed god-knows how many people, tried to take over the world, and attempted the genocide of everyone who posed a threat to your ideals… oh _wait_ ," Coral snarked.

"You're trying to distract us," Mother Night said. "Attempting to keep us from reaching the computer in time to stop whatever you're trying to do."

"Is it working?" Coral shrugged.

"Obviously not," Mother Night rolled her eyes. "Sinthea, Ophelia, take care of your sister."

"With pleasure, Mother," Sinthea said, cracking her knuckles. The HYDRA sisters stepped forward, coming toward her from both sides. Coral quickly took out both her pistols.

"I shouldn't be so surprised you two knew," Coral said.

"We didn't want you to find out this way-" Ophelia said but Coral let out a semi-hysterical laugh.

"What other way _would_ I have found out?! You two shouting 'Cut off one head, two more grow back!' before beheading me!?"

Silence followed, broken only by Sinthea saying, "That actually would be really cool-"

"Shut up!" both Coral and Ophelia shouted at her, before raising an eyebrow at each other and striking, Coral's bullets embedding themselves in the concrete as Ophelia redirected them to the ceiling before knocking the guns to the side. They fought with the same rhythm they always did, evenly matched in everything. Even Sinthea joining in didn't seem to affect the fact that they knew what the other was going to do the second before they did it, often getting kicked, punched, or thrown out of the way by either agents' maneuvers. Even as she pulled out a pistol and tried to get a shot, both Ophelia and Coral refused to give her the shot and eventually knocked the gun out her grip before kicking her in the chin and sending her to the ground, hard.

"You will never win!" Coral said, having gone on to wrestling Ophelia. "Even if I don't manage to get the word out, Steve and Nat already know!"

"Coral… the Captain and the Widow are already dead," Ophelia said gently.

"… What?" she said, almost losing focus, but regaining it the moment before Ophelia tried to trip and pin her. They broke out of their wrestling and Ophelia cartwheeled away to stand next to Mother Night.

"HYDRA captured them. They're heading to their execution right now," she said.

"You're lying," Coral said. Cue Mother Night bringing out a tablet with security footage of a HYDRA van, a wounded Widow and Captain America sitting handcuffed with an African American man Coral did not recognize, two heavily armored guards sitting with them.

"They were with someone named Sam Wilson. Know him?" Ophelia asked. Coral shook her head. "They have to die, Coral. For the good of the world."

"Someone will stop you. The Avengers-"

"Aren't even aware we're around," Ophelia said.

"Maria will have figured it out."

"One woman? Against an army?" Sinthea sneered.

" _You've_ never seen her without her morning coffee," Coral said. Hill was a level seven threat on the best of days, never mind when she was going on her third day without sleep and was suddenly without coffee.

"As… _charming_ as your sentiment is, think realistically. Even if she knew, would anyone believe her?" Mother Night said.

"She's one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s highest ranking officers!"

"But she's also loyal to Fury. And that can easily get her executed at best and… _well_ , I suppose you'd rather not know the worst," Mother Night smiled.

The worst part is that they were right. The odds were not in their favor right now. So Coral decided to use every bit of leverage she had, kneeling down and saying, "Take me."

"What?" Mother Night said.

"I'll surrender myself to HYDRA, I'll _willingly_ work for you… if you let them all go," Coral said, even as the words tasted of poison in her mouth. Mother Night just scoffed.

"You overestimate your worth to HYDRA. You are a weapon, a tool: useful, but still easily replaced."

"First of all, the only tool I see around here is you," Coral said. "Second of all, if I'm so replaceable, why has HYDRA not killed me yet? And Ophelia, Sinthea, are you guys seriously allowing them to call you _replaceable_?"

"We take the phrase, 'Cut off one head, two more grow back' seriously, Coral," Ophelia said. Sinthea obviously disagreed, but one look from Mother Night insured she kept her mouth shut.

"And the only reason you are not dead is that if we kill you, we lose our leverage over the Avengers," Mother Night said.

"You're seriously using _me_ as bait?" Coral raged even as her mind went back to her own analyses.

"Why not? You're the obvious choice. Not as volatile as the Hulk, not as powerful as Thor, not as intelligent as Stark, not as incorruptible as Captain America, not as tricky as Black Widow, and not as careful as Hawkeye. You're the weakest link, mentally, physically, and emotionally. You wrote so yourself," Mother Night smirked. "And, admittedly, we are interested in what would happen should we retake and remold one of our greatest achievements… only this time, permanently."

"Not gonna happen. Not to me, nor any of those girls," Coral said, wincing internally when she realized she'd given away what her delete drive was working on. Mother Night's eyes lit up, making clear she caught that slip.

She gave no indication of her feelings on the matter, simply ordering, "Step away from the computer, Coral."

"No."

"Then you brought this on yourself," Ophelia lamented, before taking a grenade, pulling the pin with her teeth, and chucking it at the monitor. Coral kicked it back toward the HYDRA agents, who barely ducked in time.

 _ **BOOM!**_

The entire base seemed to shake as the grenade blew up a concrete support beam. It crumpled, sending chunks of the ceiling crashing down around Mother Night, Sinthea, and Ophelia.

"Great idea, using explosives in a base hundreds of feet into the earth," Coral snarked. Mother Night smirked back, pressed a button on her belt, and unsheathed her sword.

"Perhaps it would be best if we turned this into a group training exercise," she mused as Sinthea and Ophelia pulled out a riding crop and whip respectively.

"Seriously, Sinthea? They don't even let you use real weapons? With that and the leather outfit, you look like a junior dominatrix," Coral snorted as she unsheathed her sword. Sinthea snarled and charged, even as Ophelia and Mother Night shouted at her to stay put, and Coal easily sidestepped the riding crop's swing and knocked her around the back of the head with the butt of her sword, before. "I can't wait for her to take over HYDRA, you guys are going to be so easy to beat when she does," Coral chuckled.

"At least she's loyal," Ophelia shot back.

"She's a sociopath."

"And you're a traitor; the deepest circles of the Inferno are reserved for the likes of you."

"You betrayed me first," Coral scowled.

"How so?"

"… You chose our captors over our sisters."

Mother Night struck before Ophelia could reply, quickly entering a sword lock with Coral, who pulled out an additional knife to try and get the upper hand. Ophelia jumped in, blocking the knife strike that would've sliced Mother Night otherwise. The trio fought, Coral barely holding her own against them but still managing to keep them back. Ophelia attempted to dart past to grab the drive, but Coral caught her by the hair and slammed her down. Coral then ducked and jumped over Mother Night's swipes, wincing as Mother Night brought out her old whip. Coral managed to avoid its snaps, eventually wrapping the end around her hand and pulling it from Mother Night's grip, before whipping it around again and hitting Mother Night in the face with it, gold gilded handle first. Ophelia darted up again, but Coral wrapped the whip around her neck to drag her back. Coral then leaped over Ophelia, but Ophelia grabbed her ankle, tripping her, before attempting to crawl over top her and pull out the drive. But Coral held her back long enough for the computer to beep and show the final percentage: 100%

"Looks like you weren't quite enough," Coral said, letting Ophelia up as the entire HYDRA network went haywire. The computer crashed entirely and even the base's electricity and alarm systems seemed affected. Unfortunately, it also released the deadbolt on the door. Mother Night only smiled.

"You might want to hold your tongue," she said, pressing the button on her belt again.

The door slid open to reveal Valentina, Grace, Kayla, Cassandra, Thasanee, Jessica, Katrina, Dream, Pleasure, Agony, Death, and almost a dozen more of Coral's Chimera/HYDRA sisters.

"… No" Coral murmured, shoulders dropping. She'd failed. HYDRA had gotten a hold of her sisters again. Had they ever lost hold of them at all?

The HYDRA Vipers charged and though Coral fought, it was halfhearted at best; why fight the people she'd sworn to protect? Even if she had given her all, she doubted she could've taken two dozen of her sisters. She was the weakest Avenger, after all.

For every blow she blocked, two more rained down on her and after the first twenty hits, they knocked her down long enough to restrain her with a combination of magnetic cuffs and the two dozen holds on her.

"You can't stop us. No matter what you believe, you can't," Ophelia said, standing next to the smug Sinthea and Mother Night.

"Then you'll have to kill me," Coral said, her exhaustion, her wounds, and her captors having forced her to her knees. Neither fighting nor denial wouldn't change much anyway. She'd already failed.

"No. We won't," Mother Night smiled, gesturing for some HYDRA guards to restrain her. "Take her to a cell. She'll be prepped for Whitehall's arrival," she ordered the guards before turning to her girls. "By this time tomorrow, HYDRA will stand at the head of a glorious new world. Hail HYDRA."

"HAIL HYDRA!" the girls all replied.

 _They sound as lifeless as they look_ , Coral thought as she was dragged away. She closed her eyes and her mind wandered back to her other family.

Nat.

Clint.

Fury.

Maria.

Coulson.

Bobby.

May.

Victoria Hand.

Steve.

Tony.

Bruce.

Thor.

Everyone.

Dead.

* * *

"Name?" the HYDRA scientist asked Coral, trussed up in some kind of rig that resembled a medieval torture device.

"Svetlana Green," she shot back.

 _ **ZAP!**_

She held back a scream.

"Name?"

"Carl Stricklan."

 _ **ZAP!**_

"Name?"

"Phillip Coulson."

 _ **ZAP!**_

"Name?"

* * *

There were needles.

And serums. (Always blue.)

And rays. (Sometimes whitish blue, sometimes green.)

And electricity.

And water.

And then came the real torture.

They strapped her into a vertical stand and peeled her eyelids open, a nurse on standby to keep her eyes moistened. And then Doctor Whitehall AKA the Kraken (ugh, if she wasn't in so much pain she would be cackling at the easy material these idiots gave her), played the psychedelic video and repeated that phrase over and over again.

"Take a deep breath," went his mantra. "Calm your mind. You know what is best. What is best is you comply. Compliance will be rewarded."

And her defiance was punished.

She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.

* * *

It was like this for weeks.

HYDRA would concoct some new Circle of Hell for her to trek through.

She'd survive by the skin of her teeth.

But her sanity dwindled with each day.

And then came the final blow.

* * *

It came in the form of a CNN broadcast; or rather a news montage of what had happened since she'd been captured.

The Helicarriers firing on D.C. and New York

The casualties listed, among them the Avengers and so many S.H.I.E.L.D. agents

HYDRA announcing their take-over

The instating of Martial Law, first in the United States, then globally

Terrorist element after criminal organization after Fortune 500 company coming out of the shadows to reveal themselves as HYDRA

They'd won.

* * *

Coral was placed in an interrogation room, complete with metal, bolted-down chairs and a two-way mirror.

Coral sat at a table, seconds ticking by like hours, every beat of her heart feeling like the beating of a war drum.

The door creaked open and Coral glanced up to see Ophelia walk into the room accompanied by two SWAT gear clad HYDRA agents. She looked away as the other girl sat down.

"Hey," Ophelia said. Coral didn't bother to look up. Ophelia blinked and fumbled with the package she'd brought. "I brought you gummy worms." She pushed it across the table toward her friend. Coral didn't even blink. "I know that it's not as good as when we stole them from HYDRA agents but still. Must have some appeal, right?" Still silence. Ophelia sighed. "I'm not gonna lie, what HYDRA has planned for you will hurt. You spent years thinking that these people were good, that they were saviors… that they _cared_ about you. HYDRA just wants to show you the truth. People can't be trusted, Coral. They have freedom to do things yet they squander it with apathy and abuse it with greed. This world isn't worth saving. Help us make a new one." Coral slowly, but surely, began to look up. Ophelia began to smile but it slipped off her face like melting snow off the Alps when she saw the teary eyes filled with anger.

"Get. _Out_ ," Coral grit out.

Letting out another sigh, Ophelia nodded and stood, walking to the door. But before she left, she turned back to her best friend and said, "You were right when you said I never wanted to kill you. I know you meant well and I'm sorry. But they brainwashed and lied to you. And I believe that even now, you don't want to kill me."

Coral just glared at her, so Ophelia left, the door shutting behind her with a solid click.

* * *

" _People can't be trusted, Coral."_ Ophelia's statement echoed through Coral's mind that night in her cell.

" _This world isn't worth saving."_

No

" _They brainwashed and lied to you."_

NO

She tried to focus on her coworkers, her friends, her family.

Nat.

Clint.

Fury.

Maria.

Coulson.

Bobby.

May.

Victoria Hand.

Steve.

Tony.

Bruce.

Thor.

Nat.

Clint.

Fury.

Maria.

Coulson.

Bobby.

May.

Victoria Hand.

Steve.

Tony.

Bruce.

Thor.

But then she started imagining.

Nat, after having come so far, once again losing everything.

HYDRA men storming Clint's house.

Fury lying in a coffin.

Maria being too late to dodge the grenade this time.

Coulson, having been brought back from the dead against his will, only to get stabbed in the back again.

Bobby, loyal to the end, fighting side by side with Isabelle Hartley, maybe regretting never being open with Hunter.

May doing her best to save her fellow agents, only to be gunned down by a teammate.

Victoria Hand, staying at her post, even as the world fell apart around her.

Steve being cut down by the Winter Soldier, the man who had been Bucky Barnes, had been his best friend.

Tony working on some mad new project when bullets tear through Stark Tower and his own mortal flesh before he even has a chance to summon a suit.

Bruce, as the Hulk, being pinned down by that same fire from the new HYDRA controlled Helicarriers.

Thor being cut down by alien tech that S.H.I.E.L.D. had once hoped to build a better world with.

Everyone dead.

And she was still here.

Waiting to be brainwashed, turned back into HYDRA's little puppet. Their little weapon. Their little _slave_.

While her friends were out there.

Fighting.

Dying.

Or having fought.

And having died.

Everyone.

 _Dead_.

Because of HYDRA.

They killed them.

They killed them.

They _killed_ them.

Killed.

Killed.

Killed.

Killed.

…

 _ **Kill.**_


	18. The Serpent Within

**A/N: Go see _Wonder Woman_. I know this is a Marvel fanfic, but it's wonderful and brilliant and everyone should see it.**

 **Also, I realized I should've said this in Chapter 13 changes, but this Marvel "movie" is called "Viper: The Serpent Within." And it will be one chapter more than the others. I don't know how this happened, it just did.**

 **This is also where things get dark. Warning: Blood, violence, death.**

The Serpent Within

"Food's here," a HYDRA guard said, entering the fluorescently lit cell. Prisoner 1939 AKA the S.H.I.E.L.D. and Avenger Viper, was strapped into the paralysis stand, which both restrained her and ensured she could not writhe her way out of them. The Viper was being especially silent today, not hissing or spitting at him as usual. In fact, she didn't even seem to be awake. Frowning, the rookie went to check the life-sign monitors on the side and noted how they were far below normal. He immediately went to check her pulse and breath to find them negligible if there at all. "SIR! She's not breathing!" he cried out to his superior in the hall, turning off the paralyzer. He never got the chance to say another word before the Viper's hand lashed out and crushed his throat, the life reading monitors suddenly beeping wildly.

* * *

"Mother Night!" a HYDRA guard shouted, rushing into the command room where Mother Night was meeting with the remaining heads of HYDRA. "The S.H.I.E.L.D. Viper's out of her cage. She's already taken the armory, recovered her weapons, and killed twenty men." Mother Night smiled, saluting to the other heads before signing off.

"Initiate lockdown," she ordered, activating the PA system, "Attention all security staff, this is Mother Night! It seems our little pet is escaping her pen. All high priority agents are to be evacuated. The rest of you… KILL THE AVENGER!" Mother Night turned to find Ophelia and Sinthea, standing tall and awaiting orders. "Come along, girls. It seems like Coral's ready for her rematch."

* * *

"Guys, we got a hit!" Tony cried over the PA. The other Avengers bolted into the lab, looking over Tony's screens surveying HYDRA frequencies.

"They mentioned a Viper," Bruce said.

"Play it back!" Steve demanded and they rushed to do so.

"-S.H.I.E.L.D. Viper-"

"That's her! It's gotta be her!"

"J.A.R.V.I.S., can you track it?!" Tony said.

"Already underway sir!" J.A.R.V.I.S. assured him, sounding closer to strained than Tony had ever heard him.

* * *

A dozen HYDRA guards stood at the end of a fluorescently lit hallway, ready to shoot anything that moved. It became more difficult when the lights suddenly went out. "Get the lights back on!" ordered one, and the resident technician did his best, but all he managed was to get them flickering. All that showed them was glimpses of the Viper, in her blood-soaked, tattered S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform.

By the time they opened fire, she was already upon them, with sword and gun and knife and rope.

* * *

"Dr. Whitehall, we have to evacuate you sir," said a HYDRA guard.

"Nonsense, the danger is far from here, what could possibly-"

Cue the laboratory being filled with a spray of bullets, taking out HYDRA guards and scientists alike. The guard that had warned the doctor, threw his body over the doctors, shielding him from the spray with his own body, preserving the doctor's life at the cost of his own.

"Sir!" cried another.

"Viper, take a deep breath. Calm your-"

The Viper responded by delivering a quick hit to the Doctor's throat, breaking both his concentration and his larynx. She readied to deal a killing blow-

Ophelia slammed her to a metal countertop next to some vials of chemicals and attempted to hold her down. "I'm sorry, Coral, this is for your own goo-"

Viper responded by grabbing the nearest vial and throwing in Ophelia's face. She screamed, reeling backward as she tried to cover the right side of her face, and Viper rounded on her to deal another blow.

 _ **BANG!**_

A bullet tore through the Viper's left shoulder, the first injury she had received that had slowed her but still did little else than anger her.

"Sinthea, don't kill her!" Ophelia cried even as she attempted to rinse her acid wound with the emergency flush kit's solution.

"But-"

"Ophelia is right, child," Mother Night said, looking around the room as though it were the inside of the Louvre and not the site of a massacre. "Look at the destruction she has wrought; she is more useful than ever to us alive, as an Avengers hostage or not." Viper hissed and Mother Night's smile grew as she dropped her cloak. "Get Doctor Whitehall to safety. I will take care of the Viper myself."

"But Mother-"

"That's an order, Sinthea!" Mother Night demanded, not even bothering to look at her. Sinthea winced and was cowed.

"Come on," Ophelia said, dragging her friend and the gagging doctor from the room toward the waiting Quinjet, still clutching the side of her face.

* * *

"We have to help her!" Sinthea said, storming up to her friend in the pilot's seat.

"Sinthea, we have our orders and she'd never accept our help even if we went back," Ophelia said, starting the takeoff sequence. "You're welcome to look in on her, help her coordinate our forces to end the battle quicker and with less bloodshed, but we cannot disobey a direct order. You know that as well as I do." Sinthea started breathing heaving and for a moment Ophelia though she was going to have to sedate, restrain, or beat her into submission, but her friend just threw herself into the co-pilot's chair and started organizing the remaining squads in Jörmungandr and informing the other HYDRA bases of what had happened.

* * *

HYDRA guards checked their weapons, loaded with non-lethal icers, before proceeding into the lower levels. The cleared each room one by one, until they found Mother Night and the Avenging Viper locked in battle in a large storage cell. They got into position, readied their weapons and shouted, "Mother Night, stand aside!" They opened fired immediately after, Viper dodging the bolts and using the chaos to disappear.

"No! Do nothing! She is mine!" Mother Night shouted at the men, who shrugged and went to secure the upper levels and search the rooms for survivors. But the Viper had already vanished. That just seemed to excite Mother Night, who began to stalk the darkened storage unit, searching for the Viper in the semi-darkness, her sword held ready.

"You cannot hide forever, yourself to HYDRA. It is the only way you can save the world. And what remains of your friends." The silence seemed to tense. "Oh yes, we have them in custody. Especially that handler of yours. He's an adorable little thing. Seemed to think you and the Avengers were going to rescue him. He should have learned from the first time. Still, his loyalty is commendable… and, more importantly, useable. Even if you do not join us, then with a little conditioning and compliance, he will."

 _ **BANG!**_

The sound of Viper's fist impacting with a metal container, leaving a sizeable dent in it, echoed throughout the entire facility like a gong.

" _Mother!"_ she screamed and even Mother Night started at that.

Viper rushed at her former teacher and tormentor in a rampage not unlike one of the Hulk's. She fought with more strength than skill, her sword's strikes and blows coming from all angles. She forced Mother Night further and further back until her body was pressed against the railing overlooking the chasm below, one hand on the handle of the sword, the other on the blade, as she did her best to stop the Viper's volleys. Mother Night made one last desperate push back, but Viper simply sidestepped the swing, slashing Mother Night's right hand off at the wrist. Mother Night screamed, sword and hand falling away into the bottomless shaft below. Viper stood over Mother Night and held the blade of his sword to the Head of HYDRA's throat.

And then Mother Night, the woman who had never begged for anything in her life, murmured, "…Mercy."

 _ **SCHINK!**_

* * *

The pad slipped from Sinthea's fingers and shattered on the floor of the HYDRA quinjet, the girl falling to her knees beside it. She was practically vibrating with the little shakes of her head.

"No. No. No, she-she can't be dead, she can't, she-" she stammered.

"Sinthea-" Ophelia tried to say.

"No, NO! She can't be dead! She-she… she can't," she sobbed as Ophelia gathered her friend in her arms.

"I'm so sorry, Sin," she said, rubbing and patting her back. She glanced at an unimpressed looking Daniel Whitehall before pulling away and wiping away Sinthea's tears. "But we have a job to do. Come on." Ophelia stood, helping her friend into the cockpit of the Quinjet, taking it off Autopilot and slamming on the accelerator, turning on cloaking just as they passed another Quinjet.

* * *

"Sir, there is a Quinjet in apparent retreat, should we follow?" J.A.R.V.I.S. asked.

"Scan for life signs, are any of them Coral?" Tony asked, prepping his armor.

"Negative, sir. The adolescents aboard appear to be Sinthea Schmidt and Ophelia Sarkissian. The only other individual on board is an older man."

"Track it for as long as you can, but we need to get inside that base," Captain America said, tightening the straps on his shield.

"Very well, sir. The base should be directly below you," J.A.R.V.I.S. said as Ironman and Captain America took their places beside Hawkeye and Black Widow. The Avengers kneeled down and waited.

 _3…_

 _2…_

 _1…_

The floor dropped out from under their feet and they fell to the ground below.

* * *

Her sword slipped from her grip, slick with blood. She trembled where she stood, impossibly cold and suffocating under her bruised and beaten body. She stared around at the bodies before turning to the sealed door. The planes were all gone, along with the people.

No more to hurt. No more to kill.

Where did they go?

It didn't matter.

She'd failed.

HYDRA had won.

Her family was dead.

The door opened and white light flooded her vision. After a while, a silhouette appeared amidst the white.

The silhouettes solidified into…

no

it couldn't be

They were lying to her again

This was the final test

Beat these false Avengers and she will have defeated HYDRA, avenged her friends, freed herself

"Coral!" the fake Black Widow cried, sounding more relieved than the Viper had ever heard her. That's how she knew it was a lie; Black Widow would never leave herself so open. Literally in this case, as the Widow ran toward her. Viper charged as well, but rather than to jump into the Widow's embrace, it was to slam her to the ground, pin her arms and legs down in a special hold, and wrap her hands around her throat. Black Widow normally would've countered and had her off easily, but this fake had been taken by surprise, obviously expecting Viper to fall for her honeypot maneuver. But Viper had learned; there was no reprieve, no rescue, no hope.

Just as Widow's fingers began to loosen their attempts to pry off her hold, an arrow whizzed by her ear. A warning. Fake Hawkeye's mistake. She caught the second, explosive one and threw it to the ground, the explosion masking her from the Archer Avenger. She kept to the shadows, drawing the archer into the pit as he went to check on his partner; even when they were fake, they cared about each other. Stepping out and using a flash bomb to blind him, she took him down with a sweeping kick and well-placed hit to the head.

 _ **WOOSH!**_

Viper rolled out of the way of HYDRA!Cap's shield, using her Viper's Bite grappling hook to grab it and keep it from rebounding into the Captain's reach, throwing it behind her into the abyss. Taking out her last remaining knife, thankfully one of her poisoned ones, Viper moved back to the defensive, pretending to listen to the false idol's promises of peace and safety if she just put the knife down, holding his hands up as though calming a frightened creature. _Maybe you should listen,_ whispered one traitorous part of her. _They've already won. Why keep fighting?_ it maintained, as her strength and speed began to fail. _No_ , she told herself. _Avenge them first. Then you may rest forever._ With one last push of strength, she kicked the Captain back and threw her knife into his left shoulder, barely missing his heart and pinning him to the wall. She picked up her bloodstained sword, and readied to give the captain a fitting HYDRA ending with a quick beheading, when a blast of energy knocked her back into the rails overlooking the abyss, almost sending her over the edge.

"You know, I understand the need to fight the Captain sometimes, but you're taking this a bit far, King," the fake Ironman said as the fake Captain America got the shot of antidote from his pouch. _They got their mannerisms down perfectly,_ Viper noted. _What if_ \- said that traitorous part again but Viper simply shook herself off and set off the EMP device. The Ironman suit went haywire. "Hey- King! Not funny!" Stark said, as he went down on one knee trying to get the systems of his malfunctioning suit back online. She barely had a moment to consider which she would kill first, the false idol or the phony philanthropist, when something hit her from behind. _Damnit_ , Viper hissed internally as she hit the ground hard, staring into the light of the opened door. _She hadn't secured the assassins yet._ Simultaneously cursing and crying at her failure, Viper's vision grew dimmer as the fake Avengers neared her. The world was turning dark, consuming her. Maybe she could rest now. Maybe she'd see her true team again.

She barely registered Bruce Banner's horrified voice shouting her name: "CORAL!"


	19. Aftershocks

**A/N: Okay, next chapter should be out on July 7th and after that we'll be back to the once a month schedule which I will be doing my best to fulfill. Also, since the next chapter will be "Age of Ultron," I want to make it clear there will be several changes: Maximoffs will be Jewish Romani children of Holocaust survivors and there will be no explicit Bruce/Natasha because that felt forced as fuck. I am also debating whether making Clint be married or not (I would keep in Laura and the kids, they would just be his sister and niece and nephew), if you guys have a preference, let me know.  
**

 **I am still doing the "One-Shots available in exchange for reviews" system; if you requested one and haven't gotten it, PLEASE tell me, as I may have gotten some mixed up and the last thing I want is to forget my reviewers. I have them listed below:**

 **Deadpool (A famous wise-cracker breaks into Avengers' Tower), Guardians of the Galaxy (Thor recounts a strange battle in which a human tried to beat a Cree with the power of dance), Congress (Coral deals with legal issues following the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Party (Coral goes to her first teenage party), License (Coral deals with more legal issues around her license at the DMV), Peter (Coral comes across a familiar face she hadn't expected to see again), Self-defense (Coral teaches a self-defense course in Avengers' Towet), HYDRA in Plain Sight (Different** ** **S.H.I.E.L.D.** /HYDRA agents thoughts on the Viper), Meeting Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (AU where Coral becomes an Operative for Coulson's new ******S.H.I.E.L.D.** ), Winter Soldier (Coral remembers meeting the Winter Soldier), While she was away 1 (The Avengers' reactions to the Battle of the Triskelion and their missing teammate), Buffy 2 (The Avengers watch Buffy), CPS (The Avengers deal with Child Protective Services and their claims of Child Endangerment), Hell's Kitchen (Coral becomes an unofficial Avengers' recruitment officer/liaison to the vigilantes of New York), Gymnastics (Coral wants to try out for the Olympics, comes into even more legal trouble).**

 **You can also request one, though I would kind of prefer you chose from the list, as I have most of those planned out to some degree and that makes it easier than starting from scratch.**

Aftershocks

The world was white when she opened her eyes. Everyone was there. All of the Avengers at least. Nat and Clint and Steve and Bruce and Tony and Thor. And they were smiling at her. She smiled back.

"Hey guys. Miss me?" she said and they just rolled their eyes at her and groaned. Nat was holding back a punch to her shoulder, Coral was sure.

"How're you doing?" Bruce asked, eyes roaming over her, gears undoubtedly working as he surveyed her injuries. She looked around. The window on her left showed New York City. And from the gaps between the people it looked like she was in an infirmary of some kind. So, she shrugged.

"Alright, but Heaven looks different than I thought it would." They all frowned and looked at each other and her oddly.

"Heaven?" Steve repeated, to make sure that was what she'd said. Her eyes widened.

"Wait, are we in Hell? I'd understand me being here, but you guys-"

"Wha- no."

"Purgatory? Or-" She stopped.

Oh, gods she was an idiot.

A complete _brainwashed_ idiot for believing anything HYDRA had told her.

"You guys didn't die." Frowns turned deeper, except for Nat and Steve, who immediately understood.

"Who told you we di-" Bruce asked but then he seemed to catch on. Tony, Thor, and Clint similarly began cursing or pinching the bridges of their noses. Coral lay back in her bed; the world was okay. They'd survived. It would be alright.

"Do you remember?" Steve asked gently. Her brow furrowed.

"Remember what?"

And then it all came back.

The shots, the screams, the blood

So much blood

"Oh, my gods," she said, burying her hands in her hair and scrunching in on herself. The Avengers attempted to snap her out of it, but she just kept spiraling, like she was back in Jörmungandr, surrounded by the people she had turned into corpses. The thing that brought her out was the realization at the sheer mass of bodies. "How many people were down there?" The Avengers stopped and looked between each other, but did not answer. She took a deep breath, moistened her lips, and repeated, "How. _Many_."

"162, most of them were agents but there were some scientists and officers among them," Nat said.

Bruce started to say, "It wasn't you-"

" _Don't_ ," Coral said, shaking her head. "Don't try to justify what I did. I wasn't an Agent or an Avenger or even a girl trying to protect her sisters then. That was me being the monster that Chimera… that _HYDRA_ made me to be… oh gods what did I _do_!" she dry-sobbed, vitals increasing erratically as the Avengers did everything they could to calm her down, but nothing could undo what had been done.

* * *

Coral vaguely heard the door to the infirmary open, the sounds of two pairs of footsteps following the noise. She didn't turn to face them as they entered, only remained on her side in fetal position, facing the window, picking at a loose thread in her sheets.

"Coral, this is Doctor Helen Cho," Bruce said. "She's a world-renowned geneticist and we've asked her to help you."

 _Great, you've upgraded from murderer to lab rat_ , snarked a voice in her head but she ignored it like she did everything else. Bruce's retreating footsteps echoed in the space and silence. A kind Korean woman in the most stylish set of medical scrubs Coral had ever seen stepped around the edge of the bed, forcing herself into Coral's view.

"Hello. I'm going to take a look at everything, make sure you're healing properly. Is that okay?" the Doctor said. Coral didn't respond. "I can leave if you prefer; however, it may be a long time before I am able to return from Korea as I have a lot to do and many other patients who need attending. I opened my schedule when Mr. Stark imparted to me how severe your injuries were. But whether I treat you is entirely up to you," she said. A minute passed, before Coral sat up and nodded. Dr. Cho gave a tiny response in return and began looking over Coral's shoulder bullet wound. "When was the last time you ate?" she asked.

Coral was primed to continue ignoring the world, but when she realized something: "What day is it?" Doctor Cho did an excellent job hiding her worry.

"We'll have to start you out slow then. Broth maybe," she said, beginning to adjust the IVs and read the monitors.

* * *

"How is she?" Nat asked as Helen Cho exited the infirmary to meet with the crowd of Avengers.

"Physically, she is doing very well for what she went through. However, I have reason to suspect she was experimented on during her captivity." The Avengers tensed but motioned for her to continue. "Her blood had traces of Vita-Rays and what your database identified as the Centipede Serum, a cocktail of Dr. Erskine's Super Soldier Serum, Gamma Radiation, and the Extremis virus. She's physically fine," she assured them when they all paled at that. "HYDRA has apparently managed to neutralize the harmful, explosive effects or have tempered them by using minimal doses. Other than that, we need to start moving her to solid foods and getting her to talk. Though she is physically decent, she's taking it hard mentally and emotionally. We can make sure she physically lives to 100, but in the end, the real change is up to her." She then bowed out and headed back into the infirmary, the Avengers watching her and their teammate through the two-way mirror.

"She looks so young," Nat said.

"She _is_ so young," Clint said, taking calming breaths.

"I think somehow we managed to forget that," Steve said.

"What she needs is a healer for the mind. Not the body," Thor said.

"You know she won't see a shrink," Tony said, shaking his head.

"Then we'll have to be her therapists," Bruce said, not taking his eyes off her. Tony nodded and shrugged.

"Just make sure you do a better job with her than you did with me," he advised, before walking out.

* * *

Coral's first foray into the world beyond the infirmary was at 2:32 am on a Tuesday. She went to the nearest gym, and after wrapping up her hands, she started pounding away at a punching bag, as though trying to beat the images away. Yet as she did so, they just kept bubbling up again, like she'd plugged a faucet just as the tap turned on.

"Nightmares?" a voice asked and Coral turned to see Nat sitting on a workout bench, watching her. Everything in her says to flee, but she's just. so. tired. It was inevitable; might was well get it over with.

"I never had them before… now I'm back here and my worst nightmare is that this is all just a dream and I'll wake up back with them," Coral said. Nat nodded and gestured to the seat on the bench next to her.

"The others won't want me to give you this; other than maybe Bruce, they wouldn't understand," she said, slipping a tiny red pill into her hand. "It kills instantly and painlessly. Put it in a shoulder pouch so you'll always have access to it." She put her hands over Coral's. "I wish I could promise you that you'll always be loved, that you'll always be safe and cared for and protected. But the time for lies has ended. HYDRA is evil, as is everyone who willingly works for them. Every person in that base knew what they were doing to you and they did nothing to help you. We can try to place blame, but all that matters is they will never hurt anyone else… unless you let them continue to hurt you." She pressed a kiss to Coral's hands and stood to give the girl a chance to think.

"Nat," came Coral's voice. Nat turned back to see fire rather than tears in the Avenger's eyes. "Could you stay? I'd like a spotter. I don't know how much I can handle right now." The corner of Nat's mouth twitched upward and she nodded, moving into position, ready to take her partner's load if need be.

* * *

"Physically, this is the weirdest contradiction I've ever seen," Clint said, looking over her physical examination results. "Your stamina is shot, likely due to you just having gotten off the liquid diet, but your strength and speed seem to have been enhanced."

"Helen Cho did say there were traces of failed superhero serums and radiation in my blood. Maybe they did actually manage to make me stronger," Coral said, stretching out from her time lifting weights. She froze. "Oh gods, am I going to go green like the Hulk? I mean, some people can pull that color off, but for me-"

"It was an incredibly small dosage, I doubt you're at risk of developing your own Jolly Green Giant," Clint said, still looking down at his clipboard. He looked up to see Coral looking more sickly green rather than angry green. He froze, eyes surveying to see how weary she was but she just stuck her tongue out and fake gagged.

"Please never say that again," she said and he chuckled.

There she was.

* * *

 _Upside, Cap's Best Friend is alive. Downside, he probably wishes he wasn't_ , Coral though as she looked at Bucky Barnes' section of the Captain America Smithsonian Exhibit.

"How did Peggy take it?" Coral asked Steve, who fidgeted uncomfortably.

"I… may not have told her," he admitted. Coral gave him a disbelieving look. "She's 93, has heart and memory problems, and is not likely to live much longer," he said. "She was already so distraught over how messed up the world had become since I last saw her. I can't let her think all her hard work was for nothing." Coral frowned and turned back to the display.

"She's going to find out eventually," Coral said.

"Not if I can help it," he said. "I got Tony to get the TV to turn off whenever news stations start talking about HYDRA or S.H.I.E.L.D. and the hospice staff are keeping the papers away from her. I've talked to her family and we might be moving her back to England until things calm down." Coral shook her head.

"The truth will come out eventually; it always does," she said, thinking back to HYDRA's database and the can of snakes she'd opened in there. Before she knew what was happening, she was sobbing and Steve was kneeling down so he was more level with her. "I'm so sorry we couldn't stop them, Steve," she said and he pulled her into a tight hug.

"No. I'm sorry we couldn't keep you out of HYDRA's hands," he said, as she hugged him back just as hard.

* * *

"You know, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm kind of glad my old man is dead," Tony said, working on a new suit as Coral hung out in his shop. "At least he doesn't know that between S.H.I.E.L.D. and his drunken, narcissist of a son, the drunk would end up being a better kid."

"He'd be proud of you," Coral said. Tony scoffed.

"So he said. He made this weird video where he laid out the blueprints for Starkidium and called me 'his greatest creation.'" Tony snorted. "If he really believed that, why didn't he say that when he was alive?"

"… Sometimes it's easier to deal with the future than the present," Coral said, thinking of Phil Coulson's hints at him being alive that seemed so obvious in hindsight. "Plus, from what I've read, he had an easier time dealing with adults than kids, so if he talked to an adult version of you, he could say what he couldn't to younger you."

"Still makes him a dick," Tony said and Coral laughed.

"Agreed."

* * *

"I know they're Nazis; in so many ways, they're worse than the Chitauri because the Chitauri were A) a hive mind and B) not human," Coral told Thor as they rinsed dishes one night. "I wouldn't normally feel bad about killing genocidal fascists. But what I did… that was something they would do," she said.

"I was a mere child of ninety the first time I took the life of another being," Thor said. "In some ways, I wish I still felt the guilt and horror I felt then. Then maybe I would never have become so arrogant as to drive my brother to madness and my mother to death."

"That wasn't your fault. They made their choices, you made yours, both your family and your enemies," Coral said and Thor gave her an ironic smile.

"You're quite good at forgiving other people; perhaps you should try forgiving yourself," he said.

"I will if you do," she said.

* * *

"How is your shoulder?" Dr. Cho asked as she unhooked Coral from the blood pressure monitor.

"All healed up. And thanks to HYDRA, I am faster, stronger, and more durable than ever," Coral said, unable keep the smugness out of her voice.

"I think that's more a credit to you than them, truth be told," called a voice and Coral looked up to see Nick Fury, alive and well, Maria Hill standing at his side.

"You're alive," Coral said, voice a mixture of relief and rage.

"Are you really that surprised?" Fury asked.

"No." They stared at each other for a long moment, Dr. Cho looking between the three of them. "I need to speak to Fury," Coral said to Dr. Cho. "Alone. Though I guess Hill can stay because she probably knows what I want to talk about." The Doctor nodded and briskly left the room. Coral sighed. "J.A.R.V.I.S., can you turn off the cameras? This is private."

"Coral, I don't think Mr. Stark-"

"J.A.R.V.I.S.… _please_?" Coral asked.

"… Very well, ma'am."

"Thank you." The lights on the cameras blinked out and Coral motioned to the chair next to the hospital bed she'd despaired in for so many weeks. He sat down and Coral breathed deeply before she asked, "Why didn't you tell me you brought Coulson back to life?"

Fury and Hill glanced at each other before Fury asked, "HYDRA told you?"

"Essentially. I mean, I watched the videos of his memory reassignment surgery from HYDRA's database, but yeah, they pretty much told me," she said, her voice as sharp as adamantium so that even Fury felt its sting. He sighed and shook his head.

"We did want to hurt y-"

"DON'T!" Coral shouted, almost startling Fury and Hill. "Just… _don't_." Coral bit her lip and took a deep breath. "Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s gone and I already know the truth. No reason to hide it from me. So, can you _please_ be honest with me? Just. This. _Once_?" Fury paused for a moment, before nodding.

"We thought it would be best to not inform you and the other Avengers because Coulson gave you all something to avenge," Fury explained.

"So, you mean to tell me that you kept the life of the closest thing I've ever had to a father from me so that you could just let me and the other Avengers off the leash whenever you liked and all you'd have to do is remind us that 'Coulson died for our sins,'" Coral reiterated.

"Yes."

She clenched a fist.

 _ **Punch him. Hurt him. He deserves it.**_

The anger pumped through her veins, feeding the energy build-up.

 _ **Claw his other eye out. Slice his throat open. Make him feel the pain that you felt.**_

Then she went back. She felt the bones cracking in her grip. Heard the screams and the gunfire. Saw the crimson blood dripping from her fingers.

 _No._

 _ **Yes.**_

 _Don't be the monster._

 _ **We're all monsters deep down. Hurt him.**_

 _Hurting him won't solve anything._

 _ **Make him bleed.**_

 _Do you want more blood on your hands?_

 _ **Kill**_ **.**

 _ **SLAM!**_

Fury and Hill didn't flinch, but their eyes widened as Coral punched the heart rate monitor next to her bed, shattering the glass and cursing as she pulled back her now bleeding hand. Nick grabbed it to help with the pressure while Maria got more disinfectant and bandages.

"You shouldn't do that to yourself," he reprimanded.

"We shouldn't do a lot of things," she shot back, hissing as her hand was disinfected. "Besides, better me than someone else."

"Don't talk like that," Fury said, wrapping her hand with care that shocked Coral.

"Why are you being so nice?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Like you said, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s done. At least, my S.H.I.E.L.D. is. I'm not Director anymore. I can afford to be nice now." They settled in the silence for a moment, marinating in how much had changed in so little time.

"Where is he?" she asked.

"Safe."

"I want to see him." Fury opened his mouth (probably to list the 99 reasons why she _shouldn't_ ), but Hill and Coral both glared at him, so he did the wise thing in shutting up and nodding.

* * *

Director Phillip Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. opened the door to his new office. They just settled in last week and it wasn't much (the bathrooms _definitely_ needed re-tiling), but it'd do. But as he stepped inside, a small figure looking out the window turned to face him. And he found himself looking at Coral Julie King.

They stood there, staring at each other though weathered, tired eyes.

"Ah," was all Coulson could say. For a second, Coral looked at him like she was going to shoot, stab, and slap him all at once. And then she burst into tears and collapsed to her knees, Coulson hurrying to her side.

"I hate you s-s-so much," she sobbed, clutching his suit helplessly as her body quaked from the force of her cries.

"I know," he said, alternating between patting and rubbing her back, doing his best to comfort her.

"I hate you!"

"I know."

"I _hate_ you!"

"I know. I know, Coral, I know." They just sat there, her crying, him comforting, for what felt like hours. Eventually, the door opened and Agent Melinda May entered, before surveying the scene, sharing a look with Coulson, and turning right back around, locking the door behind her.

"How have you been?"

And the dam broke. The past two years spilled from her lips, filled with the good, the bad, and the ugly. And he just sat there, listening, offering support and a box of tissues whenever she got to the hard parts: Chimera being HYDRA, HYDRA being S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA having the locations of her sisters… her killing over a hundred HYDRA agents after being told everyone she'd ever thought of as a friend was either dead, part of HYDRA, or in HYDRA custody.

"I don't know if I can do this."

"You're sixteen, Coral. No one expects you to have everything figured out. And if you'd like, I'm sure the Avengers would be supportive of you taking some time off or even leaving altogether."

"You kidding me? After everything I did to get where I am? They're not getting a rid of me that easily." He chuckled and she grinned. "Besides, there are still some sisters of mine out there who need saving. And no, I'm not talking about Ophelia or Sinthea or any of the ones like them. I know. They're long gone. I've known it for a while now really. No, I'm talking about the ones who I know actually want to be helped."

"Just want to make sure you're taking care of yourself."

"Thank you."

They sat in silence again.

"Did you finish 'Buffy?'" Coulson queried. Coral looked at him oddly.

"What do you think?" He nodded.

"I get it; it's been two years and we stopped on the Season 5 finale and-"

"Coulson, what are you talking about? I haven't even finished the first episode of Season 6." He blinked.

"Really?" She shrugged.

"I tried. I really did. It just… wasn't happening. You know?" He nodded again.

"I think I do."

Silence again.

"You could stay," Coulson offered. Coral looked up. "We're rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D. Making it what it should've been all along. We could use your help." She smiled sadly.

"You know I can't. The Avengers would start wondering where I am and…"

"Yeah." That would lead to a lot of awkwardness.

"Besides, I think it's about time I stopped being a full-time agent and started getting to take back that childhood we talked about," Coral said. Phil smiled.

"I like the sound of that."

* * *

"Are you sure you're ready to do this?" Nat asked, hands on Coral's shoulders.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Coral said, smoothing out her pink dress. "I've had enough of the shadows; Time to step into the light." Nat smiled, nodded, and gave her a quick hug, before they headed toward the doors with their fellow Avengers. The moment Thor and Steve pushed them open, the flashes of cameras filled her sight. Momentarily overwhelmed, Nat's hand on the small of her back gave her the strength to continue up the stage and take her seat at the table in front of the press.

"Now, after a brief statement from Ms. King and Mr. Stark, there will be a brief time for questions," Pepper Potts said at the podium to the side. Coral and Tony stood and went over, Tony giving Pepper wink as he passed. He motioned for Coral to go up, but she shook her head.

"You go first." Tony shrugged but sauntered up to the main podium nonetheless.

"Well, to be honest I don't appear to have much luck with the press. I didn't prepare anything because I thought you'd all be too busy hounding the teenage superhero to pay much attention, so thanks for giving me the heads up, Coral." The press laughed and Coral hid her embarrassment and giggles with a cough. "Now there has been a lot of speculation as to where the Avengers have been in the weeks following the downfall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and exposure of HYDRA, and we will be getting to that, but first I want to say-"

"Excuse me, Mr. Stark, but after the sheer chaos of the S.H.I.E.L.D. info dump, you expect that any reason is a good reason to abandon the American people when they need you most," a blonde reporter and Tony grimaced.

"Christine, always more of a pleasure for you than me, I'm sure. I was just getting to that issue. Now, after the Battle at the Triskelion, Captain Rogers was forced to take a nap, being the senior citizen he is." Cue audience laugh. "Meanwhile, the rest of us got busy taking down as many HYDRA establishments as possible before they had a chance to evacuate. During which we recovered many dangerous artifacts and weapons, preventing many future disasters and ensuring they were returned to trustworthy hands-"

"Your efforts are greatly appreciated; however, it has been this is the first official word from the Avengers since the crisis began two months ago," Christine Everhart pried. "What could be so important for you to tend to personally that you could not even spare relatively non-contributing members, such as Agent Barton or Doctor Banner?"

"I can answer that," Coral spoke up, standing and striding over to the podium, before everything got too heated. Tony stepped aside to allow her to step up and taking a deep breath, she began, "Hello, I am Coral King, formerly an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., current a member of the Avengers, and resident freeloader of Stark Tower." Thankfully, a couple of reporters took pity on her and chuckled. "Now, the past few weeks have been a massive overhaul for everyone, I know, and the fact that the Avengers had not been available for much comment beyond the required Government hearings has not helped, and for that I apologize. Truth is… they were rescuing me."

The press murmured amongst themselves, but Coral continued. "I had been taken hostage by HYDRA on a mission and I was lost in the chaos afterward. Thankfully, after weeks of searching, they managed to locate me and mount a rescue mission. However, the HYDRA base had already fallen victim to contamination by a chemical known as Midnight Oil. It caused exponential increases in anger, hallucinations, and psychosis in the HYDRA agents of the base, driving them into a state of mindless rage, blindly attacking anyone and everyone around them. I was spared only by my imprisonment," Coral said, relaying the story they had agreed upon. She had been hesitant to lie, but did so to preserve the future of the Avengers and the world's trust in them. _I will not be the weak link. I will not be the thing that brings the Avengers down._

"I know my inclusion on the Avengers roster is controversial in and of itself, but I want to make it clear that I am a member of this team; I serve the people of the world and if there is significant call against my inclusion on this team, I will resign. However, I also feel as though I should warn the people of the world that I know HYDRA better than arguably any of the other Avengers… as I used to be an unwilling operative of theirs."

The reporters spouted out a rush of questions, which Coral spoke over, "One could argue that any S.H.I.E.L.D. agent could be considered an unwilling operative of HYDRA, but I am different in that HYDRA was the first thing I ever knew; similar to the KGB's Black Widow Program, I was one of ninety-six girls trained from infancy to become assassins, spies, scientists, and other agents of HYDRA. I managed to free myself and most of the surviving girls with the help of S.H.I.E.L.D., but of course, when HYDRA was revealed as S.H.I.E.L.D. it became clear that my sisters were not saved. An unknown number of them have been captured and are prisoners of HYDRA. Whether I am an Avenger or not, I will be working to bring down HYDRA and save every individual who has been forced into working for, imprisoned by, or otherwise harmed by HYDRA."

She took a deep breath with closed eyes, before reopening them and standing taller than ever (helped along by a borrowed pair of Nat's heels). "And this is a message for HYDRA: I am alive. I am stronger than ever. And I am coming for you Nazis. I will bring you to justice and save my sisters. That you can be assured of." Imagining a mic drop in her head but unwilling to risk seeming too unprofessional, Coral King strode off the podium and back to her seat next to Nat, who squeezed her hand under the table.

"We will now be taking questions," Pepper said. The room was quickly filled with many questions and Pepper quickly picked out the least harmful looking reporter.

"I have two questions to Mr. Stark and to the Ladies of the Avengers," the man asked. "Firstly to Mr. Stark, throughout the past few years, you started off as a very egotistical figure but have since learned how to fight in a team. And so how did you approach this change, bearing in mind that kind of maturity as a human being when it comes with being a hero, and did you learn anything throughout the past few years? And to Miss Romanoff and Miss King, to get into shape for fighting bad guys do you have anything special to do in terms of the diet, like do you have to eat any specific food, or that sort of thing?"

The room seemed to drop silent as Coral, Nat, Tony, and the rest of the Avengers absorbed the questions. Tony motioned for Nat and Coral to go first and Nat immediately asked, "How come you get the really interesting existential question, and we get the 'rabbit food' question?"

"Seriously, I'm a Black Jewish teenage girl superhero and _that's_ the first question you have for me?!" Coral added on. "I thought my speech would warrant me a little more than a footnote in the Tony Stark show. #AskHerMore," she said, and the reporters laughed again.

"Question for Captain Rogers: the Avengers currently have a 70% approval rating, both nationally and worldwide. What would you say to the other 30%?" asked the reporter for the Washington Post.

"I'd ask them to describe why they don't approve and if their reasonings were sound, I take them into account on future missions," Captain America said.

The questions continued on, the team and reporters laughing when someone made a joke and keeping quiet when someone asked a serious question. _Maybe I can do this,_ Coral thought. _Maybe I really can live in the light._

* * *

"Not bad for your first press conference," Tony said afterward. "I can't remember if I was drunk or high for my first one. Either way, props on outdoing me, kiddo," he said, giving her two thumbs up.

"Nice to know my 'coming out party' got the Tony Stark seal of approval," Coral said.

"He's still right, you did a good job," Bruce said. "Now get washed up. Time for dinner."

Coral smiled; things were hard. It was a new world, but with the Avengers by her side, she would be ready for anything. Struck by a sudden realization, she asked the Avengers, "Say, have you guys ever heard of a show called, 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer?'"

(Mid-Credits scene)

"Today, we mourn our fallen leaders," Dr. Daniel Whitehall spoke to the assembled HYDRA agents. He stood atop a green stage at a podium, behind him to his right Baron von Strucker and Doctor List sat proudly, with Strucker's children standing behind them. To his left sat Sunil Bakshi, Gideon Malik, Octavian Bloom, The Banker, The Sheikh, and The Baroness, in front of the standing Sinthea Schmidt and Ophelia Sarkissian, the latter of who's black hair now covered half her face. And between all of them, were portraits of Arnim Zola, Alexander Pierce, John Garrett, and Mother Night. "They may have fallen, but let their memories reign eternal and act as guides and examples to us all. Hail HYDRA."

"HAIL HYDRA!" everyone assembled echoed and Whitehall stepped down. After greeting his fellow heads of HYDRA, he made his way over to Ophelia Sarkissian and Sinthea Schmidt. He smiled sadly as he looked over their forlorn faces.

"Mother Night was a great woman. We will miss her terribly." The girls nodded in thanks, though Ophelia still looked troubled.

"I just can't believe she'd do that. It wasn't like her," she attempted to reason. The white-haired Doctor nodded.

"You never really know someone until you've seen them at their worst," Whitehall offered. "She may be beyond HYDRA's help, but know you did all you could for her." Ophelia nodded and Whitehall pushed her hair behind her ear, revealing the now scarred half of her face. "You shouldn't hide your scars. Wear them proudly. They are proof of your dedication and valor." She breathed deeply and nodded obediently.

"Thank you, sir." He smiled and turned to an eagerly awaiting Sinthea.

"I'm sure you did your father and grandfather proud." She crumpled inward the tiniest amount, but quickly recovered with another nod.

"Thank you… sir. But if you don't mind me asking, what will become of us now?"

"I believe you are familiar with the Scepter the God of Mischief used in his attempted invasion of New York?" The girls' eyes widened and they looked to each other, nodding. "Well, we managed to acquire it before the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. And given that you two are some of the few HYDRA agents who have even been in the same room as this weapon, we were hoping you too could act as added insight to the staff's true nature, as well as provide extra security to Doctor List and Baron von Strucker. Normally I would trust their security but… you are acquainted with Strucker's children, correct?" They frowned, but nodded again. "Then you understand our concerns." Sinthea opened her mouth, probably to tell him where he could stick his concerns-

"It would be our honor, Doctor Whitehall," Ophelia assured him, giving Sinthea a sideways glance. He smiled.

"Good. I look forward to seeing you two again." And then he left.

"Don't-"

"Why shouldn't I? _Guard duty_? After everything we've done for them, they still treat us like _children_! And they always will!"

"No, they won't. Things _will_ change."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because we will _make_ them. Come, we have a job to do." Sinthea took one last look at Mother Night's portrait before following her friend.

(After credit-scene)

Somehow, all the Avengers and Maria Hill had managed to squeeze onto a large leather couch and a few mattresses they'd dragged from their rooms for their special viewing of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.' After much convincing, guilt tripping, and a bit of blackmail, Coral had managed to get a sufficient number of her friends to sit down to watch Buffy with her; the rest had gotten sucked in, though thankfully no one was complaining. There was something for everyone. Tony liked Xander, Bruce liked Willow, Thor liked that it was about a blonde warrior with super strength, Cap liked the (mostly) progressive treatment of women and how it was a bit of a crash course in the late 90s and early 2000s pop culture, Nat liked the metaphors (even the not-so-subtle ones), Clint liked the fight scenes, and Maria liked all the very attractive men. Pepper and Jane had yet to join them, though Coral was working on a bit of blackmail that might get them to sit down and relax for once. Though if the way Coral was sobbing was any indication, they might be better off in their respective worlds of business and science.

"It's- it's just s-s-so beautiful!" she cried, blowing her nose in a handkerchief. "It just is. It's the perfect finale and after the slog that was seasons 6 and 7, it's exactly what I needed."

"I'm sure it is," Tony said, patting her on the back, which only made her sob harder. "Bruce? Nat? Little help?"

"Let her cry, they're happy tears," Nat said. Still, Bruce leaned down as Coral curled into fetal position on the mattress.

"Hey, it's okay, Coral," he said, pulling her into a hug. "Think about how cool the Scythe is."

"It is. It's so cool. The idea of it. And the look. And the sound it makes. Just everything about it," she said, sniffling and drying her tears. For some reason, there was something nagging at the back of her mind… something she should remember. "Guys! Loki's Scepter!" Everyone in the room froze as they realized what she meant.

"SHIT!" Tony shouted. The others, while not so colorful in their language, had expressions and declarations that read the same. Though Tony remained the most vocal, "Seriously, Rogers, can you just give us a heads up before bringing down one of our greatest allies again?"

"Yeah, I'll be sure to drop a memo before rushing to save millions of people from Nazis," Steve said.

"I'll get working on this," Maria noted, pulling out her tablet. Coral sighed and got up to get her own.

Back to work, it seemed.


	20. They're the Avengers

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! I will be working to send you your one-shots, I just need to see "Spiderman: Homecoming" first, as Peter and co.'s characterizations will affect the one-shots.**

 **Things to make clear: The Maximoffs are Jewish, Romani children of Holocaust survivors. Clint has a family. Brucetasha will never be a thing (they will be co-parents without any romance at best). Hope you are okay with these things.**

 **I am going back to the once a month update schedule, so I thank you for your patience and support.** **Anyway, as always, thank you for reading and please review!**

They're the Avengers

"Report to your stations immediately. This is not a drill. We are under attack! We are under attack!" rang the announcement. Lying back on her bed, Sinthea 'Sin' Schmidt popped her blood red bubble gum.

"Finally, someone _worth_ killing," she smiled. She grabbed a package from under her bed and strode out where she met Ophelia 'Madame Viper' Sarkissian. "Come along, sister; it's time we proved our worth." Madame Viper nodded and followed her, passing by the soldiers and mercenaries running to their stations.

"Sin, what are you doing?" Brock 'Crossbones' Rumlow asked through his mask, grabbing her arm as she passed.

"All you need to worry about is getting the info we have about the hammer to the rendezvous point. The base is compromised, Strucker will play the long con and allow himself to be captured by the Avengers while we do our work to make this world great again," Sin said, patting his shoulder before pulling away from him.

"What about you? What are you gonna do?" he called after her and Madame Viper.

"Me?" Sin smiled,turning to face him while still walking. "I'm going to kill Captain America. Again."

* * *

Black Widow and Hawkeye drove around their commandeered HYDRA truck shooting and kicking back the HYDRA commandos that tried to overtake them. Ironman kept the hover-troopers off their tail, whilst Thor took out other trucks, cannons, and turrets, using steel beams like fly-swatters on the flying fighters. Viper and Captain America sped by on their bikes, shield and lasso at hand, at one point the two of them each holding an end of her lasso as a makeshift tripwire to knock down HYDRA guards. Thor and the Hulk cleared the tanks out of their way, leaving just one barrier of sandbags and Czech hedgehogs in their way. They leaped over the barrier, Thor with his hammer raised, Black Widow with a flying kick, Hawkeye with an arrow notched and his bow aloft, Viper with her lasso swinging, Captain America with his motorbike, Ironman with his suit, Hulk with his fists. They were the Avengers: Tyrants Beware and Be Afraid.

Ironman continued to flatten HYDRA on his way out of the forest, avoiding energy blasts, when -

"Shit!" Ironman cried as he rebounded off the HYDRA base without leaving a mark.

"Language!" Captain America said. "J.A.R.V.I.S., what's the view from upstairs?"

"The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield," J.A.R.V.I.S. notified them all.

"Strucker's technology is well beyond any other HYDRA base we've taken. Loki's scepter must be here. Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it," Thor said, razing HYDRA soldiers like a tornado in a field of wheat. "At long last."

"At long last is lasting a little long, boys," Black Widow said, taking out some gunners with a few well-placed grenades, thigh holds, and bullets.

"Yeah, I think we've lost the element of surprise," Barton said, exploding a bunker that barely missed the tree he'd hidden behind.

"What gave it away? The fact that they're shooting at us, the fact they shouted, 'The Avengers!', or the fact that we have Stark on our team," Viper said, tripping up and dragging HYDRA soldiers with her lasso as she swept past.

"Watch it missy. Or I'll take your knives away for a week," Ironman said, blasting bogeys from the air.

"Like you could ever find all my knives. Even J.A.R.V.I.S. and Nat don't know where they all are," Viper said, throwing one of said knives into the hand of a HYDRA trooper.

"Wait a second. No one else is going to deal with the fact that Cap just said 'language?'" Tony interjected.

"I know," Cap said, flipping his bike into an oncoming HYDRA truck, sending it and the passengers sprawling. "It just slipped out."

"Sir, the city is taking fire," J.A.R.V.I.S. said.

"Well, we know Strucker's not going to worry about civilian casualties. Send in the Iron Legion," Ironman said.

"You sure you don't want me out there helping the civilians, Cap?" Viper asked, more out of formality than actual desire to be relegated back to civilian duty. She really wanted to be here, fighting alongside them, when HYDRA was taken out forever.

"You're of more use here, the Legion can handle them," Captain America said.

"Roger that, Rogers," she said, flipping off her bike to scissor hold a HYDRA soldier to the ground before Cap could change his mind.

"Clint!" Black Widow cried suddenly after a blast from a bunker hit their archer. Cap turned toward them but was suddenly thrown up in the air by something… or someone

"We have an Enhanced in the field," Cap warned the others, as Viper slid her goggles down over her eyes and began searching for the Enhanced.

"Clint's hit!" Black Widow said.

"Is he alright?" Viper asked, getting ready to get him out of there.

"He'll be fine, but does somebody want to deal with that bunker?" Black Widow asked.

 ** _"ROAR!"_** The Hulk went crashing through.

"Thank you," Black Widow said.

"Stark, we're going to need to get inside," Cap ordered.

"I'm closing in," Ironman said. A minute later: "Drawbridge is down, people."

"The Enhanced?" Thor said, touching down with a hit from his hammer that electrocuted the soldiers advancing on Viper and Cap.

"He's a blur. All the new player's we've faced, I've never seen this. In fact, I still haven't," Cap said.

"Clint's hit pretty bad, guys. We're gonna need evac," Black Widow said. Viper fought back her disappointment, but readied to be Barton's escort.

"I can get Barton to the jet. The sooner we're gone the better. You, Coral, and Stark secure the scepter and the HYDRA heads," Thor advised and Viper lit up.

"Copy that," Cap said. They were about to head out, when a squad of HYDRA soldiers and a tank advanced on them.

"It looks like they're lining up," Thor smiled.

"Well, they're excited," Cap said, readying his shield. Viper covered her ears with her set of battle headphones as Thor struck Cap's shield with his hammer, sending out a shockwave that knocked down all the soldiers and the top of the tank off.

"Find the scepter," Thor ordered, before flying off.

"And for gosh's sake, watch your language!" Tony interjected.

Captain sighed. "That's not going away anytime soon."

"You make it too easy on them, Cap. Now, time to take the castle!" Viper said, rushing back toward her bike without looking.

"Viper, watch out!" Cap said, throwing his shield at her. She caught it and raised it just in time to stop a blast from a cannon that would've (metaphorically) skinned the Viper for sure.

"Thanks!" she said, using it to take out the soldiers who were manning the weapon.

* * *

"Sin, the Avengers have taken down the shield, if we want to avoid arrest, I suggest we get out of here," Madame Viper said, surveying the battle cautiously from the opposite cliff.

"I will not pass up an opportunity to succeed where my grandfather failed," Sin snarled, uncovering the package to reveal a simultaneously hi-tech and archaic energized assault rifle, readying the weapon. "This is the last of the Tesseract weapons created by HYDRA. It has enough charge for one fully disintegrating shot. Now," she smiled. "Shall I incinerate Captain America as he leaps, or wait until we are face to face? Heroes so love to _prove_ themselves in single combat, no matter how _pointless_ ," she said, searching the battlefield for the Captain through her binoculars. Her grip on them tightened as she caught sight of the Viper. She growled.

"What?" Madame Viper asked.

"The Avengers' Viper is here," Sin said, handing the binoculars to her sister who scrambled to find their former friend.

"Are you going to-"

"No. As much as I hate her, you're the one she physically scarred. She's all yours at any time," Sin smiled, setting up the Tesseract weapon in her sniper's stand. "I'll just have to settle for killing her beloved Captain in front of her."

* * *

Just as Viper finished up the remaining HYDRA men, a glint in the mountain above caught her eye. _Sniper_.

"Cap, get down!" she shouted, throwing herself in front of him, his shield held up in front of her. The blast hit the shield, throwing her backwards into Captain America, but rebounded and disintegrated a tree. "Sorry, Cap," Viper said, getting up off her leader, both winded but otherwise unharmed.

"I'll forgive you on account of you saving my life," Cap said, taking her hand to help him up.

* * *

"NO!" Sin screamed, chucking the now dead and useless weapon over the cliff. "Why don't you die, you meddlesome pig!" she raged, kicking at the bush she'd just been hiding in. Madame Viper sighed.

"Sin, I know you're frustrated, but we have to go." Sin breathed heavily but managed to nod.

"You're right. Once we have the hammer, everything will be better," she said, kicking her bike to life, taking off down the mountain, Madame Viper behind her.

* * *

Coral took out a set of binoculars to identify the sniper.

"I've identified the snipers: Sinthea Schmidt and Ophelia Sarkissian," she said, carefully keeping her voice neutral. "They appear to be in retreat; should I pursue?"

"Negative, our priority is the Scepter and securing the Heads," Captain America said. "J.A.R.V.I.S., follow them as long as you can and calculate likely trajectories. Viper, you get the South entrance, I'll take the North."

"Yes sir," Coral said, starting up her bike and heading for her access point, knocking down the remaining HYDRA guards in her path. Jumping off her bike, she took care of the guards with a few electrical disks and kicks, entering the stone fortress through the back door. Crossing through what looked like an old storage room with sturdy old pillars, she went up to the door but hesitated opening, instead pressing her ear to it. Her eyes went wide as she heard an unfortunately familiar energy powering up, and barely managed to throw herself to the side before an energy blast blew the door off its hinges. She somersaulted backward into a fighting stance directed at the two HYDRA officers who exited through the now door-less entryway. "Sorry Andrea, Andreas. You guys aren't going anywhere," she said.

"It's rude to apologize when you don't mean it," Andrea said.

"I'm only polite to people who I respect," Coral said.

"And people you fear?" Andreas asked. Viper snorted.

"Are too few in number for me to really consider how I'd treat them," she said. She was immediately forced to duck Andrea's right hand disintegration beam and cartwheel away from Andreas' left hand concussive blast, the twins holding ungloved hands. Taking shelter behind a solid brick column, Viper brought out a set of magnetic handcuffs. The moment the twins stopped their assault, she threw the cuff, which caught Andreas Strucker's wrist and attached him to the steel beam in the wall behind him.

"Andreas!" Andrea cried, immediately trying to get to her brother, only to be knocked down by Viper.

"Please, for the love of the gods, tell me you guys are not still making out behind your father's back," Viper said

"Andreas and I are more than brother and sister," Andrea said, aiming a kick at Viper's head while trying get back to her struggling twin brother. "We shared a womb, came into this world together. We _belong_ together."

"Whatever you say, Cersei," Viper said.

"We have a second enhanced. Female. Do not engage," Captain America warned over the com.

"Make that two more; the Strucker twins are here," Viper chimed in.

"Need backup?" he asked.

"Unlikely; I could beat them both as a ten-year old," she said, ducking Andrea's punch. The girl Strucker twin snarled, kicking at Viper, who grabbed the leg, broke it, and tangled it and her remaining limbs in her lasso.

She finished tying them up just as Cap said, "Guys, I got Strucker."

"I got Strucker times two!" Viper said proudly, tightening the Struckers' bonds and ensuring Andrea and Andreas could not touch each other.

"Yeah, I got… something bigger," Ironman said. Viper rolled her eyes; always trying to outdo everyone else. "Thor, I got eyes on the prize."

"Tony, remember to use a glove; last time I touched that I got crazy visions," Viper said. Silence. "Tony?" Viper was about to race down there when-

"I got it. The scepter's ours." Viper sighed, weight off her shoulders. Her sisters had been recovered, same as the Scepter. Almost of all of HYDRA's heads were either captured or killed. They'd won.

THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

"Hey," Coral said, as Bruce took off his headphones in the Helicarrier, part of the 'De-greening' routine they had developed. "Heard the lullaby worked better than ever."

"Just wasn't expecting the Code Green," he said.

"If you hadn't been there, there would've been double the casualties. Our token normal guy would've been a treasured memory." Bruce still shook his head.

"You know, sometimes exactly what I want to hear isn't exactly what I want to hear."

"How long until you trust us?" she asked.

"It's not you I don't trust," he said.

"Thor, report on the Hulk?" Coral said, knowing a fellow warrior would be able to appreciate the Hulk's efficiency.

"The gates of Hel are filled with the screams of his victims," Thor said proudly. At Coral's horrified glare and Bruce's sickly green coloring, he backtracked. "But not, uh, the screams of the dead, of course, no no, uh… wounded screams, mainly whimpering, a great deal of complaining and tales of sprained deltoids and, and uh… and gout," he said, looking smaller than Coral had ever seen him. She rolled her eyes and went over to Bruce.

"He means well," she said. "He's an alien, and an ancient one at that. You did great." She pressed a kiss to his cheek before going over to gag Clint and keep him from demanding another last minute will he could write them out for being so unappreciative of him.

* * *

"Tell my wife I love her!" Clint cried out dramatically as Dr. Cho and her team rolled him to the lab.

"You don't have a wife," Coral reminded him, following him out of the Quinjet.

"Fuck you!" was all he replied. She and Nat chuckled as Nat went after him and Coral turned back to get the debrief from Hill with Steve.

"Wanda and Pietro Maximoff," the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent said. "Twins. Children of Holocaust survivors, Jewish father and Romani mother respectively. Orphaned at ten when a shell collapsed their apartment building. Sokovia's had a rough history. It's nowhere special, but it's on the way to everywhere special."

"What the hell kind of idiocy does it take to think they would make good HYDRA allies?" Coral scoffed.

"Probably why they bolted after a few hits. Their abilities?" Steve asked.

"He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neural electric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation." Before either of them could ask her to repeat, she clarified, "He's fast and she's weird."

"Well, they're going to show up again," Steve said.

"Agreed. File says they volunteered for Strucker's experiments. It's nuts."

"Right. What kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country?" Steve said sarcastically as he and Coral stepped into the elevator. Coral shrugged; she could understand that but _HYDRA_?

"We're not at war, Captain," Hill said.

" _They_ are."

* * *

 ** _"I've got no strings / To hold me down / To make me fret, or make me frown / I had strings / But now I'm free / There are no strings on me,"_** Pinocchio sang on the giant plasma TV.

"I heard about Peggy. How is she?" Coral asked Steve hours later as the cartoon stringless puppet showed off his freedom by working for a man without pay.

"She, uh… she's okay. Moving back to England was hard at her age," Steve said, picking at the popcorn. "We all decided it would be best if she spent more time with her family. She had a rough patch, but she's tougher than any of us. She'll pull through." Coral nodded and they went back to the movie. "What about you? How are your Internet friends?" Steve asked.

"Doing well. If things keep going as they are, they might be able to overthrow the Russian 'President' by this fall," Coral smiled, tossing a bit of popcorn in the air and catching it in her mouth. Steve hesitated.

"I'm glad you're making friends-"

"I'm sensing a 'but.'" Steve gave her a jokingly stern look.

"'But' if the international community found out about your activities-"

"Do you seriously want that fascist monster still in power?" she asked, before adopting a much more innocent tone. "I'm not doing anything illegal, if my YouTube tutorials on deposing dictators are shared among certain revolutionary circles, what can I do to stop that?" Steve shook his head and rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless.

"You live dangerously, kiddo," he said.

"It's the only way I know how," she said. She didn't see his smile slip off at that.


	21. Not What I'd Call a Party

**A/N: Okay, meant to have this out yesterday, but I had an unexpectedly busy day. Sorry.**

 **On the other hand, it's my birthday so...**

 **Have fun and please review!**

Not What I'd Call a Party

"Smack."

 _ **Whack!**_

"Not me! Your lips!" Clint cried, rubbing the side of his head.

"Oh." Coral smacked her lips. "Sorry." Natasha laughed even as Clint shot her a dirty look.

"Why am I even friends with you people?" he asked.

"Don't have much of a choice," Nat said.

"Unless you'd rather go back to working for a circus," Coral chimed.

"Or an organized crime syndicate."

"Whichever you prefer."

"Very funny," Clint said. "But seriously, you people physically and verbally abuse me, even when I'm still recovering. Not cool."

"Life's not fair, Barton," Coral said, as he put the finishing touches on her. "Get used to it."

* * *

Tony was checking over everything with Maria Hill one last time before the party started when the elevator dinged and out stepped a gorgeous young African American woman, in a vintage coral tulle dress and high heels that Pepper would salivate over: a vision of the 50s without racism.

"Um, miss, the party hasn't started yet, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Very funny, Tony," the woman laughed rolling her eyes and Tony realized who she was.

"Coral?" he asked.

"Yeah, dumbass," she said.

"Language," some of the other Avengers chimed in as Tony looked her over, shaking his head.

"No. No, no, no, you shouldn't be allowed to wear that," he said.

"I have actually gotten away with murder and you think I shouldn't be allowed to wear makeup and heels?" she asked incredulously.

"Not until you're at least forty, otherwise guys around here might start getting the wrong ideas," he said.

"It's a free country, Tony, she can wear what she likes," Steve said as he passed carrying a few very heavy boxes with minimal effort.

"Thank you, Cap!" she said, giving him a peck on the cheek as he passed. Steve smiled, but it slipped off when he realized she didn't have to (technically) go on her tiptoes to kiss him in her very tall shoes.

"The heels are a bit disconcerting, though," he admitted.

"Well, I'm tired of being short. You guys will just have to deal with it!" she said, waltzing off as her friends arrived. Tony was still shaking his head.

"When did she grow up?" he asked.

"Not sure," Steve said. "You might want to follow her lead though."

* * *

"So, how're you guys enjoying the party?" Coral asked her friends a couple hours later.

"It's, uh, it's, it's cool," the bespectacled Peter Parker said as Ned continued to stare in awe at the room around them. "Kinda just, you know-"

"Grown-up?" Coral supplied and Peter nodded.

"Which is cool! I've never been to a party with famous people, it's just-"

"Overwhelming?" she said. Ned cut off Peter's response by hitting his chest with the back of his hand as Tony Stark approached.

"So, these are the friends I've heard about!" he cried, shaking all their hands, even Ned's simultaneously sweaty and stiff-as-a-board ones. "So, which one of you is gonna take the shot and bring down President-"

"No, Tony, these were the normal ones who I did not want knowing about that," Coral cut in as Ned and Peter paled and Michelle smirked.

"Oh." Tony blinked. "You have normal friends?"

"Yes. I do. Normal friends with whom I do normal things," Coral said. "Normal things like not taking down totalitarian governments."

"Sounds boring," Tony huffed, heading back to the party. "Call me when one of them gets superpowers."

Coral closed her eyes and sighed through her nose before opening them and turning to her friends, forced grin on her face. "He means well." Michelle snorted as Peter fidgeted and Ned stared off into space, still star-struck.

"So, uh, do you have anything you want to do with us, or-"

"Go ahead. Knock yourselves out," Coral waved him off.

"You're sure-"

"Go on, Parker!" Coral said, shooing him off. He grinned and rushed off, dragging the still stiff Ned behind him.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you're so willing hang out with them," Michelle asked.

"Their hearts are in the right place," Coral said.

"No, not the dweebs, these goons," Michelle said, gesturing to the assembled superheroes. Coral frowned.

"What, the Avengers?"

"You talk and work all the time for change and revolution, yet all these people do is maintain the status quo," Michelle pointed out.

"They're more in the public than I am," Coral shrugged.

"Is image really more important than saving lives?"

"You know that's not what I meant." The other girl just rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Seriously, these people could be the driving forces of change and they don't do anything," Michelle said, back to the party as she gestured wildly through the drink in her hand. "Stark could end extreme poverty on his own, Cap's mere presence could inspire revolutions, and Banner could probably solve any problem put in front of him."

"They could also leave millions unemployed, destabilize entire world regions, and create a Band-Aid solution without a full understanding of the problem," Coral pointed out. "Winning the lottery doesn't end problems, it just solves some while creating others. Some things people just have to fix for themselves." Michelle shrugged.

"All I'm saying is that if I was you, I'd change the world," Coral's face darkened.

"Be happy you aren't me otherwise you'd know the truth of that."

They slipped into silence, watching Peter and Ned try to impress some models with their cup stacking skills.

"Why are we friends again?" Coral asked.

"I make you think and impressed you with my determination to fight you," Michelle said, referring to their introduction at Coral's public self-defense lessons.

"Right." Coral sighed and groaned. "I need more friends. Preferably ones who live under rocks and have never heard of an Avenger."

* * *

"Nat, come on, one drink," Coral begged; all her friends had gone home and she just wanted to forget the awkwardness of the night.

"Sorry, house rules. No underage drinking," Nat said. Coral collapsed on the bar, forehead resting on the cool surface before she straightened up, glint in her eye.

"You know, we technically don't know how old I am. I could be easily be twenty-one, we'd never know." Nat just raised an eyebrow at her. "Or, I was raised in Germany for most of my life. And the legal drinking age for beer is sixteen there."

"Nice try. S.H.I.E.L.D. doctors said you were about twelve when we found you five years ago and you're a US citizen. Therefore, you follow US laws." Coral groaned and covered her eyes, debating the pros and cons of the President having granted her citizenship and the legal rights of an 18-year-old US adult. On one hand, at least she wasn't in legal limbo anymore and didn't have to worry about CPS knocking down their door again. On the other, it meant she had to appear as squeaky clean as possible, lest it reflect badly on the team. She huffed but nodded.

"What else you got back there?"

Natasha Romanoff looked in the mini-fridge and brought out an apple juice box. Coral's eyes lit up like the Avengers 'A' outside.

"Never mind; I'm good with this," she said and Nat chuckled as Coral walked off, struggling with the too flimsy straw and package.

"How was she?" Bruce asked, coming up to the bar.

"Surviving. She's having trouble adapting still," Natasha said watching Coral hover over Rhodey and Sam's conversation, listening eagerly and clearly wanting to join but unsure of the how. "Now that HYDRA's all but gone, she'll have more time to find her place in the world."

"You're good with her," Bruce said and she shrugged.

"I'm probably the most positive adult female influence in her life. Not that that's saying much with her experience but still," Nat admitted. Bruce nodded and they watched Coral together in silence.

"Do you think there's anything I can do to help?" he asked. Nat glanced at him but shrugged.

"Unless you have experience assimilating into adolescence as a teenage assassin, I doubt it," Nat said. "Just… keep doing what you're doing and be there for her when she needs it." Bruce frowned, clearly wanting a more active role, but nodded nonetheless. The duo went back to watching Coral show Rhodey and Sam some dance moves, the three of them chuckling all the while.

* * *

"But it's a trick!" Clint exclaimed, twirling a drumstick in his fingers as Thor set Mjölnir down on the glass table.

"No, no, it's much more than that," Thor said.

"Ah, 'whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power!' Whatever man! It's a trick," Clint said.

"And a sexist, heteronormative, gender binarist one at that, assuming the one who has the power would be a man. Or at least someone who uses male pronouns," Coral said, after taking a sip from her juice box.

"Well, please, be my guest," Thor said.

"… Really?" Clint asked.

"Yeah!" Thor said.

"Oh, this is gonna be beautiful," Rhodey said.

"Clint, you've had a tough week, we won't hold it against you if you can't get it up," Tony said. The other Avengers chuckled.

"Y'know I've seen this before, right?" Clint said. He pulled with all his might… yet failed to even make it tremble. "And I still don't know you do it?"

"Smell the silent judgment?" Tony said.

"Please, Stark, by all means," Clint said.

"Never one to shrink from an honest challenge," Tony shrugged, unbuttoning his blazer. "It's physics." He got into position. "Right, so, if I lift it, I then rule Asgard?"

"Yes, of course," Thor said. Coral chuckled, imagining Odin's face upon realizing his son had just handed over the throne to Tony 'Bullet-Head' Stark.

"I will be firm but fairly cruel," he promised them. He attempted to lift it, but it refused to budge. "Be right back."

* * *

Cue Tony using an Ironman glove, complete with reverse thrusters, as an aid in his attempt to lift it.

* * *

"Are you even pulling?" Rhodey asked as he tried, this time with both he and Tony using their gloves.

"Are you on my team?" Tony asked.

"Just represent. Pull!"

* * *

Bruce struggled exaggeratedly, eventually roaring as though transforming into the Hulk.

Everyone gave him indulging, awkward smiles or disbelieving looks.

"No?" he asked.

Coral shook her head.

* * *

"Maybe it just need a feminine touch," Maria said, getting to her feet. "A gentler, subtler one."

"Maria, you're about as subtle as a wrecking ball," Coral said as Maria Hill struggled and rail to lift the hammer. She flipped Coral off on her way back to her seat. "Steve, she exposed me to bad manners! You're the moral guardian of the team, do something!"

Steve responded by flipping her off too, causing her to cackle as Bruce tried to cover his hand from her view.

* * *

"Shall we let the healer try?" Thor suggested.

"Doctor Cho?" Tony asked, giving her a hand to help her up.

"Do you think I could survey how it's done first? Analyze your technique?" she asked Thor. He smiled and got into position.

"If Mjölnir deems you worthy, then you need not struggle," he said, flexing his muscles for show but then lifting the hammer with ease. Dr. Cho nodded.

"Could you help me get your stance and position right? To give me the best chance possible, of course," she assured him.

"Of course," Thor said. "You simply-" he moved her hand over hers and used the other to turn her body into his so she could mirror his position. Coral cocked an eyebrow and coughed under her breath; good thing Jane was not here. Thor stepped back as Doctor Cho had her try. She failed, but it seemed as though the hammer hadn't been her goal in any case.

"Thank you either way," she said, smiling at the Norse God.

"Still a very worthy healer if nothing else," Thor said, kissing her hand, and Coral moved behind the doctor, ready to catch her if she fainted. She managed not to… barely.

* * *

"Let's go, Steve, no pressure," Maria said as Steve got up for his turn. Coral swore she heard the hammer creak and saw it move the tiniest bit, but it was so small she wasn't sure. Thankfully, Thor's suddenly disturbed and worried face confirmed it for her. Still, Steve couldn't move it, causing Thor to relax.

"Ha ha, nothing," he laughed, rubbing it in more than with anyone else. "Ha ha ha."

"And? Widow? Viper?" Bruce asked.

"Oh, no no no, that's not a question I need answered," Natasha said, sipping her beer.

"All deference to the man who wouldn't be king, but it's rigged," Tony said.

"You bet your ass," Clint agreed.

"Steve, he said a bad language word," Maria tattled.

"Did you tell everyone about that?" Steve asked Tony.

"I've got a simple theory," Tony said, avoiding the question. "Like a security code… 'Whosoever carries Thor's fingerprints' is, I think, the literal translation?"

"Well, why don't we put that to the test?" Coral suggested. She pulled a clear, gridded glove out of her dress pocket and asked, "Thor, if you could just put your hand on this please." He raised an enormous hand and placed it on the fingers and palm of the glove which beeped and blinked when it finished scanning. "Thank you," she said, slipping the glove on.

"Do you always carry around a photostatic veil?" Steve asked and Coral looked oddly at the other Avengers.

"You guys don't?" she asked and they all shook their heads, though Nat nodded her on encouragingly. "Alright, moment of truth." She carefully placed her veiled hand on the handle, doing her best to imitate Thor's grip, before inhaling and pulling with all her might. "Oh… my… gods," she gasped, finally letting go and pulling off the glove, shaking her hand out as the Avengers sighed and Thor chuckled. "Seriously, forget Excalibur, this is the real determinator." Now curious, she gently gripped the handle again, this time with her own uncovered hand, only for the same result. She shrugged. "Eh, I can barely manage my own life, so I'm pretty sure I couldn't run a Realm anyway, worthy or not. I didn't really think it would work. I always thought Mjölnir was more stubborn that heavy. I mean, the Hulk couldn't lift it and yet the hammer was fine being set down inside the Helicarrier," Coral said. She hunched over the hammer, juice box still in hand. "Is it sentient? Because if it isn't, then my other theory is that it's a fixed point in the Universe and Thor's 'worthiness' is actually just him having the proper resonance to allow him to move that fixed point." She straightened back up to find every single person assembled looking at her wide eyed and disbelieving. She frowned in confusion. "What?"

"How did you come up with that?" Tony asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"I have a Tumblr," she shrugged, finishing off her juice box.

"A what?" Steve asked.

Coral was about to explain when Thor interrupted her. "Yes, well those are all very, very interesting theories, but I have a simpler one." He lifted Mjolnir to his hand and tossed it, grinning. "You're all not worthy."

Everyone groaned and protested, not appreciating the lack of humility from the God of Thunder-

 ** _SCREECH!_** A loud ringing noise filled the room as a broken Iron Legion drone limped in. "…Worthy… No… How could you be worthy? You're all killers," it said, in an unfamiliar male voice.

"Stark," Steve said.

"J.A.R.V.I.S.?" Tony called.

"I'm sorry, I was dreaming. Or… I was a dream?" it asked.

"Reboot. Legionnaire 06's got a buggy suit," Tony said, going through manual protocols when J.A.R.V.I.S. didn't answer.

"There was this… terrible noise… and I was tangled in… in… strings. Had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy," the drone almost lamented.

"You killed someone?" Steve said and everyone immediately started reaching for whatever weapons and cover they could get.

"Wouldn't've been my first call. But, down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices," it said.

"Who sent you?"

"'I see a suit of armor around the world,'" the drone said in Tony's voice.

"Ultron!" Bruce gasped.

"In the flesh," 'Ultron' said. "Or, no, not yet. Not this… chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission."

"What mission?" Nat asked.

"Peace in our time," it said.

 _ **Boom!**_ The other Iron Legion suits burst through the walls. Cap immediately kicked up a table to block their path but a drone just pushed him and the table back. Maria, taking cover behind couches on the floor, shot at the drone, to unfortunately little effect. Thor knocked one aside with his hammer, but Tony and Rhodey were quickly thrown into bookshelves and through windows. Clint slid under tables as Nat pulled Bruce behind the bar and grabbed the gun she'd stashed under the counter.

 _No! You are not making me fight in six-inch Louboutin's!_ Coral thought, peeling off her shoes and tossing them to the side, before throwing the few electrical disks she had on her at the drones and running to take cover. She noticed one off the drones flying upstairs. The Scepter. Coral vaulted herself up the walls into the higher levels just in time to see the drone pulling the Scepter from its energy field. Not on my watch. She tackled it before it could escape and did her best to attack the wiring in the joints and exposed areas. It simply began bodily slamming itself (and therefore her) into the walls. Eventually, it shook her off and she fell to the ground. The drone took off, Scepter still in hand, and Coral quickly drew her knife from her garter sheath under her dress and threw it at the drone. The knife stuck, but the drone continued. Coral moved to follow it but stopped when she heard a massive crash back in the other room. She hurried back to her friends and saw the remains of several drones amidst the broken glass and shattered furniture.

"That was dramatic!" Ultron said. The Avengers surrounded him, but he seemed to be more talking to himself, pacing as he spoke. "I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to… evolve? With these? These puppets? There's only one path to peace. The Avengers' extinction." Thor threw his hammer at Ultron and the drone shattered, but not before leaving the Avengers with one last sung message: "I had strings, but now I'm free…"

"Strangely enough, creepy robot Pinocchio is not something I wanted to see in my life," Coral said. She slid to the floor; so much for getting a break.


	22. Red Eyes, Take Warning

**A/N: Meant to publish this yesterday; got caught up with a club. Sorry. Thank you for your patience, and please review and enjoy!**

 **And thank you to my wonderful BETA Jaguarspot!**

Red Eyes, Take Warning

All in all, this was not a good night. Ultron had taken the Scepter, wiped clean their computers, and killed J.A.R.V.I.S. on his way out, though not before going through all their files and downloading himself into the Internet where he could cause maximum amounts of chaos. Perhaps worst of all, Tony didn't seem the slightest bit sorry.

"Really, Tony, you've seen every _Terminator_ movie, _Matrix_ movie, and _2001_ , and yet you still thought this was a good idea? Hell, 'a system designed to proactively strike out against potential threats before they actually happen' didn't raise any warning bells at all?" Coral asked.

"Just because HYDRA thought of it doesn't mean it's a bad idea-"

"Did you just say that about HYDRA? The Nazi Science division? Honestly, you're behaving no better than them!" Coral cried.

"You'd know all about behaving like them, wouldn't you?" he snapped and she blanched.

"Stark!" Steve shouted and all the Avengers straightened up behind a haunted looking Coral and stared expectantly at him. Tony winced.

"I'm-"

"No. Don't apologize," Coral said shortly. "It wouldn't be sincere and it was a reasonable point. That doesn't make what you did any better. It's because I'm former HYDRA that I know how slippery a slope it can be." Not trusting herself to say anything else, she hurried out of the room.

* * *

With most of the Tower's systems still down, Coral was delegated to running messages and deliveries between rooms. This led to her walking in on a sniffling Tony Stark in one of his darkened labs a couple hours later.

"Tony… Are you crying?" she asked peering around to see his red eyes.

"I'm not crying. Men don't cry, you're crying," he said and Coral crumpled; he must be really upset if that was his comeback. Even he seemed to think that, as he turned more of his back to her.

"Tony…" she said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. She was still angry with him, but he was still her friend too. He didn't reject it, even appeared to be leaning into her touch.

"The thing is, when my folks weren't around there was always Jarvis," he said. "The original Jarvis. He and his wife, Ana, they practically raised me. And well… they say people never really leave, which is bullshit, but I thought maybe I could… keep him alive this way." Coral nodded.

"I get it." They sat there for a while before Coral was called back, but before she left she gave Tony a cheap flip-phone she'd gotten down the street.

"It's not encrypted but… call Pepper," she said. He opened his mouth, likely to protest that she would tear him a new one over the phone- "Even if you don't tell her everything that's happened, you're better when you talk to her. And when this is over… see a doctor that's not Bruce." He huffed. "Seeing a therapist doesn't make you weak, Tony, it means you're open to improvement… it's certainly helped me since my captivity." He looked at her, but she just smiled and shrugged, patting his arm before leaving the room.

* * *

"I managed to convince some of my 'Rising Tide' contacts to help strengthen security for organizations Ultron's likely to hit; I hope you understand how much persuasion it took to get communists and anarchists to help protect governments and corporations," Coral reported later that day.

"We appreciate it," Steve said. "Do they have any idea why it's not 'bombs away?'"

"None," she said. "But it's unlikely they'd be able to notice. Ultron is an incredible hacker; like, Skye level good."

"'Skye'?" Steve asked.

"The best hacker in the Rising Tide," Coral explained. "Or she was. She's been off the grid lately. Not sure what happened to her."

"Well in any case, keep your ear to the ground and your eyes open," he said. "Ultron is a shadow and your sources might shed the light we need."

"Roger that, Rogers," she nodded, heading out to make more calls.

* * *

"Strucker is dead," Ophelia sighed, logging out of The Raft's database. Sin blinked but shrugged.

"It matters not," she said, flicking her cigarette over the edge of the mountain road into the chasm below. Ophelia hesitated before speaking.

"Sin-"

"No. Soon we will have a power beyond even the Avengers," Sin said.

"… And if we don't find-"

"We will. We must," Sin said. She kicked her bike back to life and took off. Ophelia sighed, but took off after her, nonetheless.

* * *

"He's all over the globe… robotics labs, weapons facilities, jet propulsion labs… reports of a metal man, or men, coming in and emptying the place," Maria Hill updated them a while later.

"Fatalities?" Steve asked.

"Only when engaged. Mostly guys left in a fugue state going on about old memories, worst fears, and something too fast to see."

"Maximoffs," he groaned.

"I'll get working on them," Coral volunteered, Cap nodding at her.

"Well, that makes sense he'd go to them, they have someone in common," he said as Coral got to work.

"Not anymore," Hill said, scrolling through to show the pictures.

"What's this?" Tony asked.

"A message. Ultron killed Strucker," Steve said, handing Tony the tablet to see.

"And he did a Banksy at the crime scene, just for us," Tony said.

"What about Andrea and Andreas?" Coral asked, trying to peer around them.

"Uh, no. They're still in prison-" Steve said, trying to put the tablet away, only to have her snatch it from him.

"You're an awful liar, Cap," she informed him, swiping through the pictures. Like their father before them, Andreas and Andrea von Strucker laid on their cots, the walls red with their blood behind them, the words IN OUR and TIME painted gruesomely above their bodies. Coral closed her eyes. They weren't good people… but she had known them.

"I'm sorry," Cap offered and she just opened her eyes, sighed through her nose, and handed the tablet back to him.

"Couldn't be helped," she stated.

"This is a smokescreen. Why send a message when you've just given a speech?" Nat asked.

"Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss," Steve said.

"Yeah, I bet he… yep. Everything we had on Strucker has been erased," Nat said after a quick search.

"Not everything," Tony said.

* * *

"Talk about retro. You must be liking this, Cap," Coral said, turning a paper file over in her hands.

"Hardy-har-har, King," Cap said. "Known associates… Strucker had a lot of friends."

"Well, these people are all horrible," Bruce said.

"Wait. I know that guy. From back in the day. He operates off the South African coast, black market arms." Tony looked up to see the Avengers disapproving looks. "There are conventions, all right? You meet people. I didn't sell him anything. He was talking about finding something new, a game changer, it was all very 'Ahab.'"

"What's this?" Thor asked him, gesturing to a symbol on his neck..

"Uh, it's a tattoo, I don't think he had it…"

"No, those are tattoos, this is a brand," Thor said.

"Oh, yeah," Bruce said, doing a quick search. "It's a word in an African language meaning 'thief.' In a much less friendly way."

"What dialect?" Steve asked.

"Wakanada…? W-, Wa-…"

"Wakanda," Coral stated, eyes going wide as she turned to Steve and Stark who had similar expressions.

"If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade good-"

"I thought your father said he got the last of it?"

"I don't follow. What comes out of Wakanda?" Bruce asked. All of them turned to Steve's Vibranium shield.

"The strongest metal on earth."

"Where is this guy now?" Steve asked.

* * *

The Avengers crept through Ulysses Klaue's ship. Viper took special care in stealth, hood up, goggles on, back to the wall, head on a swivel; even her super-spy training might not be a match for an Actual Witch and Speedy Maximoff, the fastest running mouse in all of Sokovia.

"Well, I always say, 'keep your friends rich and your enemies rich and wait to find out which is which,'" the Avengers heard Ultron say to Klaue, Vibranium in hand.

"… Stark," Klaue said.

"What." Ultron stopped.

"Tony Stark used to say that. To me. You're one of his?"

"What?! I'm not- I'm not," Ultron said, grabbing Klaue's arm. One of Klaue's men went to shoot Ultron, only to be telekinetically restrained by Wanda Maximoff. "You think I'm one of Stark's puppets, his hollow men? I mean look at me, do I look like Ironman? Stark is-" SCINK! Viper stifled a wince upon realizing Ultron had sliced Klaue's arm clean off. "I'm sorry. I'm s-oooh. I'm sure that's gonna be okay, I'm sorry. It's just, I don't understand. Don't compare me with Stark!" Ultron said, kicking Klaue down the stairs. "It's a thing with me. Stark is, he's a sickness!"

"Ahh, Junior. You're gonna break your old man's heart," Ironman said as he, Captain America, and Thor moved into the open, Viper flanking them, while Black Widow and Hawkeye secured the exits.

"If I have to," Ultron shrugged.

"You don't have to break anything," Thor maintained.

"Clearly you've never made an omelet."

"He beat me by one second," Ironman said and Viper couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes; he was not helping his case.

"Ah, this is funny, Mr. Stark. It's what, comfortable?" Pietro asked, glancing down at the stores of weapons on the ship. "Like old times?"

"This was never my life," Ironman said.

"You two can still walk away from this," Cap said.

"Oh, we will," Wanda said.

"I know you've suffered," he tried again, only to be cut off by Ultron this time.

"Blah! Heh, heh, Captain America, God's righteous man, pretending you could live without a war," Ultron said. "I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but-"

"If you believe in peace, then let us keep it," Thor said.

"I think you're confusing peace with quiet," Ultron said.

"Yuh-huh. What's the Vibranium for?" Ironman asked.

"I'm glad you asked that because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan!" Ultron struck, using a magnet to draw Ironman closer before using some kind of repulsor to push him back into the wall. As they began wrestling through the ship, Thor, Cap, and Viper engaged the drones and twins, as Widow and Hawkeye took care of Klaue's goons.

Though the twins were powerful, it was obvious they were untrained and depended entirely on their powers to carry them. Which meant the Sokovian Roadrunner was in for a rude awakening when he attempted to plow Viper, only for her goggles to track him and warn her, allowing her to step aside and trip him just in time.

"Word of advice: pick a color that doesn't make you look like a 'Not-Quite-Speeding-Bullet,'" she said, eyeing his silver and blue with thinly veiled amusement. He attempted to barrel her over again, but she managed to move out of the way and trip him again. A telekinetic blast hit her in the stomach and knocked her down, undoubtedly from Wanda the Teenage Witch. She managed to roll herself back to her feet and put her fists up, knowing her bullets, lasso, and knives would undoubtedly be telepathically redirected at her. "Okay, I just gotta ask this one thing; what drives the Jewish Romani children of Holocaust survivors to work for HYDRA?" She barely managed to duck, somersault, and flip away from the scrap metal Wanda threw at her.

"Don't act like you know anything about us!" she shouted.

"Oh, but I do know," Viper said, softening her voice. "Stop me if I'm wrong: You volunteered for the experiments when HYDRA was still S.H.I.E.L.D., with the hope it would give you the power to protect your people. The revelation and betrayal broke your faith in systems, government, and the Avengers. Perhaps as much or even more than the deaths of your parents, who were killed by Stark weaponry after they were placed under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s relocation program. Originally the Terrorists, Extremists, and Leaders of the Brotherhood of Mutants, Erik and Magda Lehnsherr started anew as Django and Natalya Maximoff, after helping Charles Xavier's 'X-men' save the world and being pardoned by S.H.I.E.L.D.. That's why you didn't stick around during our assault on Strucker's base and one of the reasons you killed him and his psychotic offspring: you hate HYDRA as much as we do."

Silence.

"You just want to do good. We can help-"

 _ **Pow!**_

Coral went flying back into the wall, thrown by Sonic the Sokovian Hedgehog. She looked up to see red Witch Hazel was gone as well. She groaned and leaned back, huffing stray braids out of her face. "Called it."

* * *

"One the plus side, my research on them was right. On the downside, I've lost sight of Dash and Violet Incredible," she reported. Thor grunted, but it sounded more in annoyance than in confirmation.

"Thor! Status?" the Captain asked a moment later.

"The girl tried to warp my mind," Thor said. "Take special care, I doubt a human could keep her at bay. Fortunately, I am mighty." Cue his com going dark.

"Thor?" Viper asked. Silence. "Thor?" Still silence. "Thor, come in, Thor." Nothing. Viper sighed. "So much for 'The Mighty Thor.' Is anyone else on coms?" Silence. She furrowed her brow as she listened, hearing only the running of discount Flash. Her eyes widened as she realized what that meant and she turned, only to get a face full of scarlet energy. Holding her head, she did her best to stop the sight of the Avengers' corpses, the sound of Svetlana's neck snapping, the smell of Ophelia's face melting, the taste of blood in her mouth, the feel of HYDRA bones snapping in her grip.

"She's a fighter, this one," the Witch's voice smiled through the fog. "Tell me, Viper… have you ever known Fear?"

So much.

So many.

What kind of hero could massacre like this?

Why did they make her like this? (Did they?)

Why couldn't she be normal?

Why did nothing she attached herself to last?

What would she do if (when) the Avengers were gone? What if she lost them too?

Would she ever be able to stop fighting?

All of her worst memories, every life she'd ever taken, every wound she'd ever inflicted, every nightmare and vision she'd had of her uncertain future came crashing down on her at once.

She didn't realized she'd curled into fetal position, whimpering like a babe until long after Clint had found her. She barely felt him lift her into his arms, carry her to the Quinjet, and lay her in a bunk. All she felt was the pain she had caused and that had been inflicted upon her.


	23. Seoul Searching

**A/N: Alternatively titled "Seoulscape"**

Seoul Searching

Coral was numb for the entire flight. Which meant she was doing a good deal better than most of the Avengers. Distracted, distraught, fractured, wounded, and sent to ground, the Avengers had hit a whole new low point.

Her perception and mood improved fractionally as she used the techniques her therapist had taught her and more so once she saw the Barton farm, complete with Laura, Cooper, and Nicole. The rest of the Avengers were more surprised than comforted.

"These are all agents," Tony said. "Are these related to you by any chance?"

"Not by blood," she said simply before chiming in, "What, no love for Cousin Coral?" when the kids passed her over to hug Nat. "Hey!" she said, lifting them up into her arms and swinging them around before letting them down. "Oh, my gods, you guys are getting _huge_. Stop that. You're making me feel old. And short." She saw how the Avengers were already retreating (Thor doing so quite literally), so she quickly gave them a reason to stay. "So, guys, I know you already know who they are, but I'd like to formally introduce you to Tony Stark," Tony bowed, "Steve Rogers," Steve saluted from the front door, " … and Bruce Banner," she finished, putting on her most genuine fake smile. "Be extra nice to him," she whispered in their ears and they nodded subtly before moving toward him. Bruce just shook his head and backed away.

"I'm sorry, I-I can't-" he said, hurrying out of the room, leaving three disappointed children in his wake.

* * *

"Don't even think about it." Banner jumped as he exited the bathroom.

"What?" he said, attempting to portray nonchalance and confusion, and failing at both.

"I know that look: the darting eyes, the increased nervousness and fidgeting," Coral said. "You're planning on running." He didn't deny it, just shook his head and sighed.

"The world just saw the Hulk. The real Hulk, for the first time. I have to leave." Coral pursed her lips.

"Look, I know this is bad but-"

"No, you don't!" Bruce shouted and Coral actually jumped. Exhaling aggravatedly and running a hand through his hair, he continued more gently but still furious, "Do you know what I saw? What the Maximoff girl showed me? She showed me the Hulk. When I Hulk out, I'm usually… it's not asleep, but it's not completely conscious either. I usually only get glimpses, mostly from the ones I induce. But this time… I saw everything. The rage. The destruction. The fear. The Hulk can't be controlled. He can be directed but never controlled. The best way to keep him from hurting anyone else is to keep him away from everyone else."

"Cause that worked _so_ well the last time," she sneered. She wanted to take it back a second later, but her rage pushed her on. "So, what, after everything we've done, all the progress we've made, you're just gonna give up?"

"I'm doing this for everyone, Coral!"

"Maybe you should listen to everyone before you act then!"

"The world's made it clear they don't want me around!"

"The Team needs you!"

"In a cage!"

"… You still think we're like that?" she asked, hurt. Banner looked away and braced himself on the windowsill.

"Ask yourself honestly: if it was a choice between what the world demanded and what the Team wanted, which would win out?" he asked her. She didn't answer. He sighed and moved to leave.

"You know, I've been thinking about leaving too," she called. He stopped and turned to face her as she sighed. "It's exhausting; the constant struggle against forces that we're never really going to win against. And I've spent so much of my life catering to others' whims and needs, I've never really gotten to have any of my own." She bit her lip and shook her head. "But they need us. They all do. And I'm not sure I can walk away, not without knowing they're going to be okay."

" … Maybe you should," he said. She looked at him oddly. "Have you ever read any of the Greek tragedies?"

"Is Tony a self-centered moron at times?" Coral said. He didn't smile.

"Well, think about those main characters. Heroes. And not a single one of them got a happy ending."

"Maybe we're not meant to," she murmured. "Does that mean we shouldn't help others get theirs?" He didn't reply and she just sighed and walked away.

* * *

Coral stormed outside onto the porch, slamming the screen door behind her. She knew Clint and Laura probably wouldn't appreciate it, but she didn't feel like using the newer methods Banner or her therapist had taught her at the moment and there wasn't a punching bag for her to use her traditional techniques on. So, she sat on the steps, bare feet settling atop the soothing Midwestern US grass, not at all like the New York City parks she was used to, pushed her hair back, and curled bent forward until her forehead hit her knees in the best impression of an armadillo she could do. A soccer ball rolled across the ground, bounced off her foot, and stopped. The youngest Avenger looked up to see Nicole and Cooper staring down at her expectantly. She glanced between them and the ball, before sighing through her nose as she smiled and shook her head, picking up the ball, standing up, and chasing them further out into the field.

* * *

Bruce looked out at the three kids playing soccer, the younger two carefree and joyous, while the eldest was much more reserved, though she still seemed to be enjoying the game. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled, so he glanced right to confirm he was no longer alone in his observation. He sighed.

"Those visions… I know were fake but at the same time they feel so real. Seeing them was like… waking up," he said. Natasha nodded in agreement.

"I had this dream. The kind that feels real at the time. But when you wake…"

"What did you dream?" he asked.

"That I was an Avenger. That I was anything more than the assassin… the _monster_ they made me."

"I think you're being hard on yourself," he noted.

"Here I was hoping that was your job," she smiled.

He stayed silent at that.

"She wants you to stay. She feels safe with you," Natasha said.

"Where can I go? Where in the world am I not a threat?" Bruce said.

"You're not a threat to us."

"You sure? Even if I didn't just… there's no future for me. I can't ever… I can't have this, kids, I physically can't," he said, gesturing from the house with the white picket fence to the three kids playing in the grass.

"Neither can I," she murmured and he turned to her. She cleared her throat a bit before she began: "In the Red Room, where I was trained… where I was _raised_ , um, they have a graduation ceremony. They sterilize you. It's efficient. One less thing to worry about. The one thing that might matter more than a mission. Makes everything easier. Even killing." She stopped and smiled sadly at him. "Still think you're the only one who doesn't always get what you want?" Bruce winced, reminded of their first conversation, before they both looked out at the girl who was the closest either of them would ever get to a child of their own.

* * *

"Don't worry, I'll get it," Coral cried, as she accidentally kicked the ball too hard and sent it flying into the woods at the edge of the yard. She hurried over to pick it up.

"There was once a time you would've heard me from a mile away,"

"Those were the days," she lamented, twirling the ball in her fingers. "How's retirement?"

"Did you ever actually think I was gonna go through with that?" She shrugged before frowning at him.

"… I'm still mad at you."

"When aren't you?"

"Can you blame me?" They stared each other down for a moment before they broke and pulled each other into a quick hug. "Cap and Stark are taking their anger out on the Bartons' firewood if you want to talk to them."

"Not yet," he said, holding her at an arm's length to survey her. "How are you holding up? And don't give me the same bullshit you've been giving everyone else," he said when she opened her mouth to say 'fine.' She closed it and spun the ball in her grip.

"I know it's not real," she said.

"But…" he prodded.

"Am I a bad person?" she asked. He cocked an eyebrow and she continued. "I've killed people. A _lot_ of people. If it had been a HYDRA agent that had done the things I had, they'd be tried and executed as a war criminal, branded a monster. But I got off scot free… " she trailed off but Fury brought her back by holding her shoulders and looking in her eyes.

"Hey, you're a lot of things, but not a monster," he said. "A monster wouldn't feel remorse for doing bad things. A monster wouldn't try to save people. A monster wouldn't play with a bunch of kids to make them happy even when they just want to be left alone." Coral quirked her mouth, unconvinced. Fury sighed. "If you won't listen to me, maybe you'll listen to Coulson," he said, handing her a phone, number already prepped. She held the phone carefully, looking between him and the screen. "It's real. He might be a bit busy right now, but he'll pick up." He patted her shoulder before wandering toward the barn. Coral fiddled with the phone for a moment before sitting in the grass and pressing call.

"Hey Phil. I… it's Coral."

* * *

The Avengers' reunion with Fury was about as mixed as Coral's reunion with him. It mostly consisted of an infodump on Ultron (planning multiple big things with the Vibranium, definitely being blocked from nuke codes by someone or something) and jabs at Tony and Bruce for making him (Coral kept a hand on Bruce's shoulder the whole time), while Cooper and Nicole acted like Therapy Children with their weaponized adorableness.

"And the caterpillar becomes a pupa in its chrysalis, before it becomes a beautiful butterfly," Nicole said, flipping through her drawings to show each of the stages to Bruce and Coral.

"That's wonderful! You've done a great job with this, Nicol-" Coral stopped. _Chrysalis_.

' _Ultron!'_

' _In the flesh. Or, no, not yet. Not this…_ chrysalis _.'_

Bruce seemed to get it a moment before her.

"' _They don't need to be protected. They need to evolve,'_ " he quoted. "Ultron's going to evolve."

"How?" the team asked.

"Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?" he asked.

Silence.

"Shit," Coral said.

"Language," the Avengers cried out, Bruce covering Nicole's ears as Cap rolled her eyes.

"Sorry. Slipped out," Coral apologized dramatically.

"Why am I always the one getting made fun of?" Cap asked.

"Cause you make it so _easy_ , Cap," Coral said, kissing him on the cheek as she added some change to the Barton's swear jar.

* * *

"You know I'm starting to miss the days when the weirdest thing science ever created was me."

"Just remember the food, Cap. We've still got the better food," Coral said. "Also, is it technically an android if it's made of living flesh? Doesn't that make it slightly more similar to a cyborg?"

"Maybe a mix of the two: Cyborg Android. A Cydroid Anborg," Tony suggested.

"I'll drop Banner off at the tower," Fury cut in before Coral snapped that she was still mad at him too. "Do you mind if I borrow Ms. Hill?"

"She's all yours. Apparently. What are you gonna do?" Tony asked.

"I don't know. Something dramatic, I hope," he said, before patting Coral on the shoulder one last time and bowing out. Bruce moved to follow him, but Coral blocked his way.

"Promise me you'll say goodbye before you leave," she stated. Bruce moved to argue and she cut him off. "If nothing else… give me that much."

"That goes doubly for me," Tony said. Bruce gave him an unimpressed look. "Hey, it takes two to tango. Or in this case, build a genocidal AI murderbot who wants to be a real boy. And I'm the one getting most of the blame."

"That's because your attitude about it makes you so much easier to blame," Coral chimed in.

"My point is, we love you. We care about you. And if you want to leave, at least say goodbye so we can help you out first. I won't throw a party again or anything," Tony promised.

Bruce sighed and shook his head but eventually nodded and smiled sadly. "I'll say goodbye. I promise."

Coral grinned and hugged him tightly around the waist. He seemed taken aback, but reciprocated a moment later. He moved to shake Tony's hand but was instead pulled into a brief hug. Finally, he said goodbye to the Bartons and nodded to Nat, before heading to Fury's waiting Quinjet. Coral watched him go, foreboding feeling growing in her gut.

"Alright, suit-up," Steve said. "We got work to do."

* * *

"Two minutes. Stay close," Cap said as he breached the perimeter of the U-Gin Genetics Research Lab. Viper kept herself, Widow, and Hawkeye informed by following him with the security cameras. The lab was destroyed, as were the staff. "Dr. Cho!" Cap cried, quickly helping her bind her wound.

"He's uploading himself into the body," the Doctor explained. "The real power is inside the cradle. The gem. Its power is uncontainable. You can't just blow it up. You have to get the cradle to Stark," she said as Viper pulled up the previous footage to confirm Loki's Scepter had indeed had some kind of yellow gem inside the blue casing.

"First I have to find it," Cap said.

"Go," she nodded and he headed out.

"Did you guys copy that?"

"We did," Viper confirmed.

"I got a private jet taking off, across town, no manifest. That could be him," Widow said.

"There. It's the truck from the lab. Right above you, Cap. On the loop by the bridge. It's them. I got three with the cradle, one in the cab. I could take out the driver," Hawkeye said, getting a lock on the truck.

"Negative! If that truck crashes, the gem could level the city," Cap said. "We need to draw out Ultron." He responded by jumping on the top of Ultron's truck, only to roll off the back and nearly be blasted off as Ultron shot the doors… twice. "Well, he's definitely unhappy! I'm gonna try and keep him that way."

"You're not a match for him, Cap," Hawkeye warned.

"Thanks _,_ Barton."

Turns out it was very true, as he was promptly blasted off the truck and into the windshield of the car behind. He jumped onto a passing garbage truck and swung onto the truck again, when Ultron emerged from inside. "You know what's in that cradle?" he said, blasting at Cap. "The power to make real change. And that terrifies you."

"I wouldn't call it a comfort," Cap said, hitting Ultron into the air with the shield, before rebounding it off the robot's chest a few times until it stuck in Ultron's chest.

"Stop it!" Ultron cried, batting the shield into the street and blasting Cap onto the hood of the truck.

"He needs help," Viper said.

"We got a window," Hawkeye said as Viper and Black Widow got into position. "Four, three… Give 'im hell." The floor dropped out from underneath them and they both

"We're always picking up after you boys," Black Widow said. She leaned to the side and Viper swept up Cap's shield as they passed.

"They're heading under the overpass, I've got no shot," Hawkeye said.

"Which way?" Black Widow asked.

"Hard right… Now!" They turned right into a side street and blew past restaurants and through alleys, until they were directly perpendicular to the truck. Heading straight for a collision, Black Widow turned and slid under the truck, Viper throwing the shield into Cap's awaiting grasp once they came through on the other side. Ultron used his magnetic grip to pull up the road in front of them, sending them to a screeching halt before they turned and went through the civilian bridges, walkways, and stairs to get around the mess.

"Out of the way! Coming through! Sorry, coming through!" Widow shouted as she made to catch up with the truck. "Clint! Can you draw out the guards?"

"Let's find out," he said, shooting Ultron who immediately sent his flying monkeys to deal with him.

"Beep beep!" Widow shouted at the people in her way.

"They're heading back towards you. So, whatever you're going to do, do it now," Hawkeye said as Ultron tackled Cap off the truck and into a nearby passenger train.

"We're going in. Cap, can you keep him occupied?" Widow said.

"What do you think I've been doing?" Cap panted desperately. Black Widow and Viper closed in on the truck, jumping off the bike and into the back the moment before the bike hit the back of a water truck. Moments later, the Ultron drones came back and lifted the truck into the air, almost sending Viper and Widow tumb

"The package is airborne. I have a clean shot," Hawkeye said.

"Negative. We are still in the truck," Widow said.

"The hell are you-"

"Just be ready, we're sending the package to you," Viper said, beginning to saw at the restraints keeping it in place with a knife.

"How do you want me to take it?"

"Uh, you might wish you hadn't asked that," Widow said as one of the restraints gave way.

"Nat, Coral, we gotta go," Hawkeye said a few minutes later. Viper attached an explosive to the truck and jumped onto the Cradle with Widow, ready to ride it safely. The moment they were in the open air, Viper saw Ultron closing in on them, reaching for Black Widow and all she could see was the fake HYDRA broadcast, with Nat's corpse plastered across the screens.

"LOOK OUT!" Coral screamed, pulling out her titanium pistol and aiming it at their approaching adversary.

 _ **BANG!**_

"AGH!" Ultron cried out as the titanium bullet tore through his body. Enraged, he lunged at the youngest Avenger, grabbed her ankle, and pulled her off the Cradle.

"WOAH!" she cried. She held back a scream as Ultron held her hundred of feet in the air by her ankle and struggled as best as she could. "Let go of me! Let go of me, you son of a-" A metal fist collided with her face.

Black.


	24. The Sky is Falling

**A/N: This chapter has not been BETA read because I am a procrastinating idiot. Feel free to point out spelling/grammatical/plot errors.**

The Sky is Falling

Coral blinked awake to the sight of Ultron working on one of his drones as more drones worked behind him and molten Vibranium was spouted off to the side. She tried to maintain her facade of unconsciousness as she surveyed the base (apparently, he'd repurposed Von Strucker's base to suit his own needs, why they hadn't thought of that sooner was a mystery to her), but Ultron noticed.

"I wasn't sure you'd wake up. I hoped you would, I wanted to show you. I don't have anyone else," Ultron admitted. Coral couldn't help but smirk; if the Maximoffs had abandoned him, maybe there was hope for them yet. "I think a lot about meteors, the purity of them. 'Boom!' The end, start again. The world made clean for the new man to rebuild." He rounded on her. "I was meant to be new. I was meant to be beautifu-"

"Ok, before you really get going, I want to say, if this is another 'We're not so different' or 'Reason I'm better than you' villain speeches, may I request that you kill me now?" she groaned.

Ultron seemed to deflate at the interruption. "You're obscenely rude, did you know that?"

"Pretty much," she shrugged. "But at least I didn't cut off a guy's arm just for comparing me to Tony Stark." He kidnapped her, fine, but she was not taking this lying down. Even if she was technically lying down.

"That was an _accident_!" Ultron cried.

"And throwing him down the stairs afterward?"

"Well you'd know all about having a temper."

"At least I control mine," she snapped; this was getting out of hand.

"By how? Beating up the bad guys? Because that's worked so well-"

Coral punched the nearby brick wall, leaving a sizeable dent before storming up to Ultron. "I may not be as dangerous as the Hulk, but you do _not_ want to make me angry," she said, getting ready to attack him… only to realize her weapons were on the table next to Ultron and even much his drones were intimidating as they wandered up behind him.

"You were saying?" Ultron smirked and Coral straightened up.

"Yes, I was. I may not be a hero, but you're definitely no savior," she said. Ultron snorted and shook his head.

"We'll see what the people decide," he said, pulling up a portable view screen. Coral went to grab her belt off the table but another drone stood in her way. She hissed at it but backed off as Ultron Prime began going through files of some sort "Now, Tony Stark told you and the Avengers that he destroyed all security footage of your little… tantrum at the Jörmungandr bunker," Ultron smiled as Coral's eyes widened. "Well. If it ever existed, it can be found, especially on computers." And there it was, playing and replaying like some nightmarish instant-replay. She closed her eyes as he straightened up, apparently triumphant. "I wonder how the world will react to seeing you as you really are." She opened her eyes and he frowned when he saw they were not filled with tears, but rage.

"You think you can intimidate me?" she asked, walking toward him unafraid. "You think I will ever let any psychopath with delusions of grandeur control me again?" She stopped an inch from his chest and even as he towered over her, she exuded the power it took to be the youngest Avenger. "Your mistake. One of many."

He frowned, but shrugged it off. "Maybe I did kidnap the wrong Avenger. But you're still the youngest and no matter how strong you think you are, you make them weak. They'll do anything to protect you, even if it tears them apart. There's a 99.88% chance I will succeed in my plans, but if not, I can at least be content in knowing I have insured the Avengers' fall," he said, uploading the security footage onto the Internet for the whole world to view. "And look at that. You're already trending."

Yet she just stared at him blankly. He huffed. "You're no fun. At least Stark has banter and the others react when I make fun of them. When did you get so good at hiding your emotions?"

"I've had a lot of practice in my lifetime," she said.

"Well, then, I guess you won't mind a little more." Two of his drones dragged her to her feet before forcing her to her knees beside an honest-to-gods stone throne he had probably brought from somewhere in the city. Ultron Prime then backed-up until he was suddenly torn to bits by an even larger Ultron drone, this one obviously made of Vibranium. This Ultron stalked over, grabbed her by her hair, and said, "Say anything, make one move, and I will tear off your head and send it to the Avengers." Coral exhaled but nodded and he released her before lounging back in the chair as other drones set up cameras and lighting, even make-up in the form of bloodying her face up a bit to get his point across. After an inordinate amount of time, the camera started rolling and Ultron began his big speech, while Coral carefully signed out in sign language and blinked out in Morse code: Sokovia.

"Hello, organic children of the planet Earth. I am Ultron. I am a cybernetic intelligence organism created by Tony Stark. I was created to _replace_ you. And I wanted to take this moment to say goodbye. Up until today I did not have the power resources or intelligence units to see my prime directive program to its completion. But now I do. Though you ultimately _failed_ as a species, you should not be _ashamed_ of what you've accomplished. You've done much with your limited capacity, but ultimately you were too greedy and too frail to ever last in the environment you've created. I've studied your literature and pop culture… You've _fantasized_ about this day. And now it is here. Your Doomsday. Soon, the Earth will be no longer inhabitable for any biological organism. Man, woman, child, plant, or animal. Your species will cease to exist. This is not a threat. There is nothing you can do to stop the cycle. It has already begun. In your place my new life-form will gestate and grow. Do not distress over or try to fight it. It will only bring you physical pain. And I receive no benefit from causing you pain. In fact, I've grown very _fond_ of mankind as a species. If not for you, I would not exist. But because of man I _do_ exist. And now… Here we are. I love you. Goodbye."

He turned the camera off remotely and his two drones went to drag her to the nearby cell, but she responded by breaking their fingers, pulling out their exposed wires, and generally punching, kicking, and at one point biting to get them off her. Eventually, Ultron Prime got annoyed that he used a repulsor blast to push her into the cell and locked the door before she could scramble out. "Enjoy Armageddon. I doubt you'll be able to do much else from here," he said, his drones' cackles echoing throughout the underground base as they stalked off.

"Gods. And I thought _Loki_ was a drama queen," Coral sighed.

* * *

The moment Ultron and his drones had appeared to vanish, she broke out her spare wooden lock pick kit (Ultron had taken her metal one) and broken out of her cell. She'd quickly recovered her belt, still lying out on the table (seriously, he was probably expecting her to escape if he made it this easy for her), and hurried off to find the exit.

"Coral! Coral!" cried a familiar voice. Just as she turned a corner, she saw Bruce Banner rushing through the halls to get to her.

"Bruce?" she asked, as he swept her up in his arms.

"You alright?" he asked, putting her down to look her over and make sure she was (relatively) uninjured.

"Yeah," she said, gently brushing him off as he surveyed the cut on her forehead.

"The team's in the city, it's about to light up." His brow furrowed when he realized she wasn't locked up. "Wait, how'd you-"

"I'm an _Avenger_ , Bruce, I can get out of a metal cage from the 40s," she said, rolling her eyes. "So, what's our play?" she asked as they headed for the exit.

"I'm here to get you to safety."

"Job's not finished," she shook her head.

"We could help with the evacuation, but I can't be in a fight near civilians. And you've done plenty. Our fight is over," he said. She stopped when she realized what he was doing.

"So, you're leaving now?" she asked.

"That's the plan." Coral swallowed but nodded. "You could come with me?" he inquired. She blinked and stared at him and he continued. "If you want… I saw what Ultron did and while people might be a bit more lenient with you-"

"I'm sorry, were you just suggesting that the world would judge a young black girl less harshly than a grown white man?" she scoffed.

"I think it's the grown green man they're concerned with," he pointed out. She shrugged.

"You know if you had asked me a week ago, I would've said yes in a heartbeat."

"But now…" he asked.

"They need me. They need _us_. Loki just wanted to rule the world. Ultron wants to destroy it. Every living thing." She shook her head. "I can't walk away when I know that there's something I can do. And something tells me you can't either." He didn't answer. She sighed but nodded and turned to leave.

"You're right," murmured Bruce. She turned around and he hesitated but nodded. "One last time. Let's go." She grinned and hugged him once again.

"Where do you want to go when this is done? We should probably avoid big population centers, at least the ones with a lot of cameras? We could back to Calcutta. Or Greece! I've never been to Greece, but I've always wanted to see it. The Parthenon with Pallas Athena!" she began rambling as fast as Pietro Maximoff, Banner grinning all the while.

Suddenly, the base began to shake and the earth above them began to rise.

"What the…" Bruce murmured while Coral's eyes widened.

"Oh my gods." She turned to him. "He mentioned meteors to me. You don't think-"

"I think we've learned not to underestimate supervillains," Bruce said, pulling her along so they could avoid the falling rocks.

"I don't suppose you have a Quinjet with you?" she asked as they made it to the surface and saw half of Sokovia rising into the sky.

"How do you think I was planning on leaving?" he replied.

Once in the Quinjet they first flew away from the rising city, to prevent any debris from the city falling into the propellers, before flying up past the city and carefully landing in a clearing away from the action.

"Come on, we gotta go!" she said, rushing out with her belt full of knives and fresh clips. She stopped when she realized Banner wasn't following her. "Bruce?" She headed back inside to find him sitting at the computer. She opened her mouth to speak but the words were caught in her throat when she saw what he was watching: The Hulk's rampage through Johannesburg, South Africa. She took a deep breath, knowing her words would never be enough. Still, she moved her hand over his and kissed his forehead. Slowly, he turned to her and upon seeing her smile, he allowed himself to be pulled outside. He then kneeled on the ground and slowly grew into the Hulk.

"Nice to see you, Big Guy," Viper smiled, kissing Hulk on the cheek. He snorted in reply. "Now, go be a hero!" He sniffed and lumbered off in one direction and she went off in the other, putting in her earpiece as she went. "Viper here, I'm on the northwest outskirts of the forest, where am I needed."

"We're trying to herd the civilians toward the square in the southwest region," Cap said.

"Great! I'll search for stragglers and send them that way," she said. She began escorting civilians, checking bodies for signs of life, and slashing, bashing, and otherwise destroying any Ultron drones she came across.

"Hey guys, miss me?" Viper said, flipping into the square near Hawkeye, Widow, and Cap, using her sword and lasso combinations to take out the Ultron drones near her.

"Not at all," said Widow, giving her a quick hug. Viper hugged her back, but started when she saw who was behind her.

"Maximoffs!" Viper cried, getting ready pull her goggles down and stop them in their tracks.

"It's okay; they're on our side!" Hawkeye said.

"Seriously?" She turned to the somewhat-sheepish twin Sokovians. "Just like that?"

"It's our world too," Wanda said. "Not to mention, our country and our city. We're not about to see it turn to ashes." Viper just threw her arms up in an exaggerated shrug.

"Why is that everything always goes weird when I leave?" she wondered, looking them over. She went to move on but stopped when she recognized the red leather jacket Wanda was wearing. "Wait, is the Wicked Witch wearing _my_ leather jacket?"

"Wait, those clothes belonged to someone?" Pietro asked.

"Yes! They _do_!" Viper cried indignantly.

"Ah-" Wanda stuttered, getting ready to rip the jacket off and run. Viper took a deep breath and groaned.

"Keep it, it looks better on you anyway." Punching Scarlet Witch on the shoulder, she said. "Welcome to the team, Scarlet Witch. And Quicksilver…" he winced as she pointed her sword at him. "Steal anything from me again and you will end up with my sword up your ass." He nodded and she smiled, resting her sword on her shoulder. She turned to get a status update, when another wave of drones hit them. Cap shielded them from the debris. Quicksilver ran around them in circles, kicking up dirt to blur the drones vision, as Scarlet Witch held the aerial drone in a force field before she pulled it apart. Black Widow meanwhile got two drones in a combination arm and thigh hold before she sent them both to the ground, where Hawkeye shot them through the heads. Viper slashed a few with her sword, aiming for weak spots in the joints, as chest slices took more work.

Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch bolted off to help their countrymen, Hawkeye went off to assist them, and Widow cartwheeled and somersaulted through drone blasts, before hitting another drone in the leg, shoulder, and neck with stun blasts from her batons. When one threw her into the hood of a truck, Cap smashed it into the same hood with it shield where it stuck. Throwing a baton to stick in the neck of another drone, Widow picked up his shield and used it to absorb blasts from an incoming droid, before hitting it in the head, leg, and chest with the shield and throwing it to Cap for the finishing headshot. The three of them quickly went off to help some civilians inside, Cap asking Ironman, "What have you got, Stark?"

"Well, nothing great. Maybe a way to blow up the city. That'll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear." Viper couldn't help but notice he said nothing about getting out himself.

"I asked for a solution, not an escape plan," Cap stated.

"Impact radius is getting bigger every second. We're going to have to make a choice."

"Cap, these people are going nowhere," Widow pointed out in their momentary reprieve between waves. "If Stark finds a way to blow this rock-"

"Not 'til everyone's safe."

"Everyone up here versus everyone down there? There's no math there." Viper winced at the quantification of human lives, but knew she was right.

Quicksilver went to shout at her, when Cap said, "I'm not leaving this rock with one civilian on it."

"I didn't say we should leave." Cap looked at her before turning to Viper who nodded.

"Stark, Thor, and Barton could get most of the kids out on the Quinjet and in vehicles they carry," Viper said somberly. "They'd be orphans, but it's better than being dead."

Widow nodded. "There's worse ways to go. Where else am I gonna get a view like this?"

The three Avengers looked out over the clouds for a moment, going over their impossible choices.

"Glad you like the view, Romanoff. It's about to get better," chimed in Nick Fury. Sure enough, the clouds parted to reveal the most wonderful sight: a helicarrier. "Nice, right? I pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends. She's dusty, but she'll do."

"Fury, you son of a bitch," Cap said.

"Oooh! You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"This is S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Quicksilver said.

"This is what S.H.I.E.L.D.'s supposed to be," Cap stated.

He nodded. "This is not so bad."

"No. It's not. It's really _not_ ," Viper said, blinking through joyful tears.

Slowly but surely, the Helicarrier lifeboats detached from the ship and were filled with civilians, the Avengers providing them with cover on the ground as Ironman, War Machine, and Falcon kept them safely in the air.

"How's it feel to be a part of the team at last, guys?" Viper asked War Machine and Falcon.

"Pretty great; is it always like this?" War Machine asked.

"More or less," she smiled.

"Then I think we're gonna be a part of the team for a long time," Falcon said, weaving in and out of drone blasts. Neither of them saw Viper's wince.

"Thor, I got a plan!" Ironman cried.

"We're out of time. They're coming for the core," Thor replied.

"Rhodey, Sam, get the rest of the people on board that carrier," Ironman instructed, and they replied with, 'On it.' "Avengers, time to work for a living."

Making her way over with Cap, she sliced through the Ultron drones like bamboo, until they made it to the Church, where Thor, Ironman, Quicksilver and a red being were holding down the fort.

"Wonderful to meet you formally, Ms. King," said the red being in a gold cape with what looked like a yellow bindi gem in his forehead.

"Thank you," Viper blinked. "… Does anyone want to explain to me who the red guy in the cape is and why he sounds like J.A.R.V.I.S.?"

A moment of silence.

"Stark, that's all on you to explain," Cap said, adjusting his shield as he shook his head. Viper rounded on Ironman, eyebrow and hip cocked.

"Well, uh, see, Viper, ever heard of the phrase, 'fight fire with fire?'" Ironman attempted to persuade her.

Everyone could practically hear her glaring at Stark.

"You know what, I'll explain it to you when there's _not_ a battle going on," he said.

"Don't count on me being any less armed," Viper reminded him.

"Right. Of course," Ironman cursed. "Romanoff? You and Barton better not be making out behind Laura's back, she's a nice lady!"

"Relax, Shell-head. Not all of us can fly," Widow said, driving a truck through a swarm of Ultron drones, Hawkeye acting as sniper on the top. "What's the drill?" she asked when they arrived.

"This is the drill," Ironman said, pointing to the release lever of the Vibranium spire. "If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose."

Speaking of the Devil, Ultron himself flew up to the assembled Avengers a second later.

"Is that the best you can do?" Thor taunted. Ultron responded with a smirk and gesture of his hand, which sent hundreds of his drones swarming behind him.

"You had to ask," Cap sighed.

"This is the best I can do. This is exactly what I wanted. All of you against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?" Ultron scoffed.

"Like the old man said," Ironman said. "Together."

The Hulk roared and the chaos began. The drones swarmed and the Avengers fought them back. Quicksilver ran around the perimeter, plowing through the ones in his path, while Vision crushed, Scarlet Witch blasted, Thor struck, Hawkeye shot, Black Widow shocked, Viper sliced, Cap pounded, Ironman cut, and Hulk smashed. Drone after drone after drone after drone, from every angle and any direction, by land and by air, they came.

10 vs 10000

The Ultrons never stood a chance.

Ultron Prime appeared to realize this, as he eventually flew in, only to be blocked by Vision, who blasted him back out of the Church. Thor and Ironman followed to finish off the big guy, and even Hulk followed them.

"They'll try to leave the city," Thor warned as Ultron began to realize the odds were no longer in his favor (if they ever were).

"We can't let 'em, not even one," Ironman said. "Rhodey! Sam!"

"We're on it," War Machine said, barreling into action. "Oh no, we didn't say you could leave. War Machine and Falcon, comin' at you, right a-" They were cut off by Vision taking out the last three with combination laser blast and density shifting to pull them apart, inside out. "… Okay, what?"

"Tell me about it, man," Viper said, shaking her head.

"We gotta move out," Cap said, looking over the remains of the destroyed Ultron drones. "Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats, I'll sweep for stragglers, be right behind you."

"What about the core?" Hawkeye asked.

"I'll protect it," Scarlet Witch stated, surprising all of them. "It's my job." Viper smiled at her and Scarlet nodded in return.

"Nat. Coral. Let's go," Hawkeye said, heading out to find transportation.

* * *

"I know what I need to do: The dining room!" Hawkeye said as he drove them through the rubble of the city to the lifeboats. "If I knock out that east wall, it'll make a nice work space for Laura, huh. Put up some baffling, she can't hear the kids running around, what do you think?"

"You guys always eat in the kitchen anyway," Black Widow agreed.

"No one eats in a dining room," he said.

Just as they reached the lifeboats, they came across the Hulk, roaring and grunting in a clearing.

"We don't have a lot of time,"

"So get your ass on a boat," Viper said to them both, before hurrying over to the Hulk. He caught sight of her and started pacing around. "Hey, Big Guy," she said gently, taking off her glove. With luck, this would be the last time he would ever have to see battle. "Sun's getting real low." He surveyed her and she nodded, so slowly but surely, he hunched down and reached for her hand.

 _ **BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!**_

Viper was blown back by blasts from the Quinjet. The Hulk roared and did his best to cover her, holding her to his chest. Next thing she knew, she was flying through the already thin air, nestled in Hulk's arms. He landed on the Helicarrier and laid her on the landing pad. She went to reach for him, but he was already leaping away, back onto the still flying Sokovia, before leaping again at the retreating Quinjet. She vaguely saw Ultron Prime thrown from the jet and land back on Sokovia, before former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were on the pad, escorting her inside.

"No, I need to get to him, or at least finish up Evac," she tried to say, when Sokovia dropped from view. _No_. Pushing off the agents, she rushed to the side; Sokovia was falling, but the lifeboats were afloat. This city seemed to be on fire and exuding lightning, until-

BOOM!

The Sokovia Meteor exploded, the vibranium spire still intact as it and the remnants of Sokovia's land fell to the earth. Coral collapsed. It was finished. She let herself be hauled off, on the condition she be given access to a computer on the way. Quickly, she called up the Quinjet. He was inside, still in Hulk form.

"Hey, Big Guy. We did it. The job's finished," Coral smiled. Yet he looked so sad for some reason. "Now, I need you to turn this bird around, okay? We can't track you in stealth mode, so help me out. I need you to-" The screen went black. "Big Guy?" No answer. "Hulk?" Still no answer. "Bruce!"

Nothing.

Coral glanced around to see the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents looking at her sympathetically. She did her best to smile and quickly bowed out. She needed to be alone right now.


	25. The End of an Age

**A/N: Question: Do you guys want me to write a Black Panther interlude to Viper, or have that be an additional chapter?**

 **Also, since I planned to have Bruce Banner in the next part of the story, but _Thor: Ragnarok_ showed he'd and Hulk been off earth since Sokovia. Is this an acceptable break from canon (I will still be following ******_Thor: Ragnarok_ canon closely)?  
****

 ** **Thank you to everyone who reviewed, here are the available one-shots (if you reviewed every chapter, you can request an original one-shot**** ** **):** Struckers (Coral remembers the Viper's nest with the Strucker kids), J.A.R.V.I.S. (Coral reacts to J.A.R.V.I.S.'s death and Vision's birth), Phone call (Phil and Coral's call), New Avengers (Coral leaves suggestions for training Scarlet Witch, Vision, Falcon, War Machine, and acts as a liason between the Avengers and New York's Enchanced Vigilantes), Disney (The Avengers' Disney Marathon), While She Was Away 2 (what happened with the other avengers while Coral was kidnapped).**

The End of an Age

Late at night, two days after the Battle of Sokovia, a ripple went through the Stark Tower security system. Friday took note, but everything seemed normal, so she went back to 'sleep.'

As such, she didn't notice the cameras were on loop and a few choice doors were unlocked, and therefore didn't notice a slender figure in black with a duffle bag slung across her back kickstart one of the numerous motorbikes and head for the garage door.

"Lights," said a voice, illuminating not only the black-clad figure but the assembled Avengers. Coral pulled down her cowl reluctantly. "Friday, can you tell me what time it is?" Tony asked.

"It's 2:14 AM," the AI said. Coral smothered the urge to run upstairs like a scolded teenager and stood her ground.

"You know they're going to come for me. That will either lead to the world turning on the Avengers or the Avengers turning on each other. Neither is acceptable. Especially not on my account," she said. "And yes, I know that you'd protect me, but this is my doing. I will turn myself in… after. I need a chance to live outside of this. Nothing lasts forever, and I have to have something to be when I do finally put the Avenger's uniform to rest."

"Where will you go?" Nat asked.

"Paris, I think. Maybe Rome. Who knows? I can go anywhere I like now," she shrugged, almost smiling. Nat was silent for a moment before pulling her into a hug.

"Keep in touch," she said.

"I will," Coral said, moving to hug the rest of them. "I'll still be on call after all. Maybe not for anything less than Tony almost ending the world again, but still. This isn't goodbye," she said, kicking her bike to life.

"What is it then?" Barton asked. She paused before smiling.

"Hello. To a new beginning," she stated, taking off into the night and her new life.

* * *

…

 _ **Boom!**_

A light shone through the darkness, illuminating a wooden handle with a gold knob. A metal door creaked open and a cupped guard and black hammer head were illuminated as well, both parts encased in ice. Snow and icy wind rushed into the room, as did two figures in red and green parkas. The one in red lowered her hood and looked upon the weapon, rapturously.

"The Hammer of Skadi," she whispered. She approached it carefully, like a wounded beast that would lash out at any moment. "The Hammer fell to Earth after a ritual was performed under the orders of the Red Skull. It read, 'And he who shall be worthy will wield the Hammer of Skadi.' Unable to lift the Hammer, Adolf Hitler and the Red Skull had it sealed away, to be forgotten. Until now." She looked to her partner in green, who nodded. Taking a deep breath, she gripped the handle… and lifted.

 _ **BOOM!**_

Lighting and Thunder echoed outside and the wind rose, as the mountain itself seemed to armor Sinthea Schmidt. Ophelia held a hand up to her face, almost falling backwards in shock as the hammer zoomed past her ear and took the top off a distant mountain. It then flew back into the flurry, which cleared up and revealed Sinthea, now dressed in armor of ice and dark leather. "I am evil's heart - not Baron Von Strucker! Not my grandfather!" she screamed into the night, sending out a pulse that blasted Ophelia to the ground. She then smirked at the sky. "Are you watching from your pit in _Hell_ , father? Do you understand now? That it was always _my_ destiny… _never_ yours. The Red Skull's failure will be his granddaughter's triumph… and I will _reshape_ this world."

Raising her hammer in the air, the wind and clouds above began to churn, causing lightning and thunder and snow to hail upon the mountains and valley below. As Sinthea surveyed her work smugly, Ophelia watched from afar. Awestruck. Yet very, very afraid.

* * *

SHAWARMA PALACE

The Avengers sat around a table in the "Shawarma Palace" once again, as they had often found themselves doing after missions since the majority of them had moved into Stark Tower.

Thor was digging into his food with great fervor, while the majority of the others seated barely picked at their fries. Steve rested his head, leaning on his propped up arm. Natasha and Clint had their feet on each other's seats, slowly nibbling at their fries. Coral sat next to Clint, curled up in her chair, finally managing to get some (hopefully) uninterrupted sleep, after having already wolfed down her shawarma along with an enormous burger and two sides of curly fries. Tony sat, staring into space, mulling over the battle as he chewed, occasionally wiping his fingers with a napkin. Vision, being an android, did not need to eat, but tried a bit of everything at Tony's insistence that it was part of the Avengers' experience. Wanda did not feel like eating but ate at Vision's insistence that she keep up her strength. Rhodey and Sam seemed very eager to talk about their first official mission as Avengers, but also acknowledged the others' need for silence, so they mostly whispered amongst themselves.

Honestly, what else can you do after saving the world?… _Again_.


	26. Stagnation

**A/N: I tried to publish this on Friday, but FanFiction was having a fit. Sorry. It's short, and un-BETAed and I may publish next chapter on February 16th as I'm going to be very busy trying to get funding for my study abroad. Sorry again.**

 **Hope you enjoy anyway.**

Stagnation

'Cora Coleson' picked at her shawarma; As a young American who was taking a gap year having finished high school, she found herself having been drawn to Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip on her tour of the world. The result: helping the locals out with anything and everything they needed, whether it be economics advice, self-defense lessons, or just another helping hand.

"If you don't eat that, then I will shove it down your throat," a voice said and Cora looked up into Brody's face.

"I'd like to see you try," Cora admitted. Brody set down his tray of dirty dishes and started eating from Cora's plate.

"Why are you so mopey right now?" he asked.

"I am not mopey. I'm just… down," she shrugged.

"Right. Of course." He stared her down for a few moments and she caved.

"I guess I'm a bit homesick."

"Oh," he said sadly.

"I like it here, I really do. It's just… things are happening back home and I worry about my friends sometimes," Cora said.

"Oh don't worry about insulting me, kid; you're the one I know is going places. Besides, just because change is a constant doesn't mean people aren't allowed to miss what they had," Brody said. Cora nodded as he kissed her forehead. "Now, I'm gonna make you a fresh plate and you're gonna eat it all, and then help me with these dishes. Alright?"

Cora smiled and nodded.

* * *

Skadi - formerly known as Sin - stood on a observation deck, surveying some kind of metal working below, the fires from the forges below accenting her slightly red face. Ophelia Sarkissian stood slightly behind her, an ever vigilant guard.

"Have you found her yet?" she asked as Brock Turner came up behind her, in full Crossbones armor except for the helmet, showing his full, heavily scarred face.

"The moment we do, I will tell you," he assured her, going in to kiss her neck. Skadi growled and pulled away.

"That's not good enough," she spat. "Do better." Brock scowled and stormed out. He and Ophelia shared a glance as he swept past and she stepped forward once he was out of earshot.

"Sin-" Skadi glared. "Sorry, _Skadi_ , there's no reason to focus on her, she's inconsequential. Let's just focus on the plan," Ophelia advised.

"No! She dies first, either by your hand or mine," Skadi snarled, rounding on Ophelia. "Unless you're having second thoughts?"

"Never, ma'am," Ophelia said. Skadi stared her down before smirking.

"Good. I'd hate to lose another head of HYDRA. We seem to be running short on them," she chuckled. A burst of flame cast a shadow of heads on pikes across Skadi, Ophelia, and the wall behind them. Skadi's grin seemed to grow wider than her face, the fire reflecting on her teeth.

* * *

It was the middle of the night by the time Cora left the restaurant. The salty sea air as biting with a late December chill. Strolling through narrow walkways, it was almost peaceful. Almost.

"Leave me alone," she heard a feminine voice saying in a parallel lane. Cora stiffened. She heard the argument escalate and Cora stood there, waiting for a penny to drop.

"Okay that's enough, break it up," said an authoritative voice. After a moment, the tension dissipated and Cora was left in the silence. Except she wasn't; there was someone about eight yards behind her, standing as still as she was. She took a deep breath and kept walking, taking a left, then a right. He followed her until she slipped around a corner out of view. By the time he'd rounded it, she was gone. He treaded further into the dead end, only to be attacked from behind. He fell to the ground and attempted to stand, only for Coral's boot to press his chest into the ground.

"Is there a problem, ma'am?" he coughed.

"Yeah, there's a problem. Why are you following me?" she asked.

"I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, I don't bite," he assured her. He was an African American, probably New York from his accent. She frowned but let him up, still wary. "Truth is, I thought you'd be taller, or bigger muscles and all that. You're pretty spry, though," he groaned, rolling his shoulders.

"What do you want?"

"It's not what I want," he said. "If I had it my way, I'd be back in New York. But the boss seems to think you're the one we need to talk to so… "

"Your boss?" she asked, wondering for a moment if Stark had sent someone after her. He smiled and nodded at someone behind her. Coral turned to see a young blonde haired, blue-eyed woman, a disapproving brunet man beside her.

"Hi, Coral. It's been a while," the woman said.

"Susan?" Coral asked.


	27. Reunions

**A/N: Anyone else hyped for Black Panther? Long Live the King! Be sure to tell me if you want me to cover it in a one-shot or a whole six-chapter section. Also, I cut Sinthea Schmidt's backstory from this chapter as it wasn't essential to the story, though I do feel it explains a lot about her character. If you want it, review and I'll send it to you. And as always, thank you for reading and hope to get the next chapter out on March 2nd, but I'm very busy this semester so you never know.**

Reunions

"You're getting sloppy. I had almost no trouble tracking you," Susan Storm, former Chimera operative and Coral's oldest sister.

"I'm retired," was all she said in reply, sipping on her tea back at her apartment.

"No excuse. HYDRA is still out there and until they are a distant memory, you need to keep your guard up." Coral sighed, setting her mug down harder than necessary.

"Are you done?" Sue pursed her lips and nodded. "So, what're you doing here?"

"I need your help. Er, we do actually," Sue said, gesturing between herself and the young men who had accompanied her. Coral cocked an eyebrow. "This is my adopted brother-"

"Johnny Storm," he said, kissing Coral's hand. "And you are-"

"Not interested," Coral said, all but ripping her hand from his grasp as Sue whacked him upside the head.

"And this is my…" Sue stopped at the brunet man's expectant smirk, "Reed Richards." The smirk faded.

"We're looking for our friend, we think he may have been kidnapped by HYDRA," Johnny Storm stated. "Three months ago, there was this explosion in the Lower East Side and we realized it was his junkyard, so we went to find Ben and instead, got a crater where the yard should be and a big metal net carrying him into a Quinjet with the HYDRA logo."

"Leverage or revenge?" Coral asked.

"Neither," Sue said. "We've received no ransom notifications or anything, nor has anyone we know."

"Ben was going to be our pilot on a mission to study energy enigmas in the asteroid belt, though, so it might be connected to that. If we don't get him back soon, Victor Von Doom will pilot us instead!" Reed Richards cried. Coral blinked, not sure she had heard that name correctly.

"I'm sorry, who?"

"Never mind. Let's not get into that," Sue interjected. "Will you help us?"

"What is there to help? It's been three months and if you could track me down but not him, it shows he's lost," Coral stated. "Pray that he's dead or if he's alive that you never see him again." The trio's jaws dropped simultaneously.

"I thought you said she was 'the kindest person you knew,'" Reed Richards cried.

"Back when we were prisoners of HYDRA, she was," Sue said, leaning back in her chair as she surveyed her former sister through narrowed eyes. "Is this really it? You're not even going to try?"

"I told you, I'm retired," Coral said. "I can give you a path to speak with the Avengers, but apart from that, there's nothing else I can do."

Sue shook her head. "Why are you lying to me? I would understand not wanting to do this, but just straight up lying is beneath you."

"I'm not lying," Coral said, narrowing her eyes.

"Then look me in the eye and say it," Sue challenged. Coral sighed angrily, before staring Sue down.

"I. Can't. Help. You."

The two former sisters and Chimera agents stared each other down. Sue blinked.

"Fine." She shot up from the table, upending her chair and grabbing her bag. "Sorry to drag you guys across the world for less than nothing," she said to Johnny and Reed as she stormed from the apartment, the downtrodden duo behind her.

Coral sighed, before getting up, righting Sue's chair, and locking the door behind them.

* * *

"Did we really come all this way just for you to-"

"Shut up, Johnny. Coral wants to spend the rest of her life running and hiding from HYDRA, that's her choice. It's stupid, but it's hers," Sue snapped as they hurried through the darkened streets.

Neither she nor Johnny nor Reed noticed the dark garbed person watching and listening to them, each badge on his shoulders a red skull with tentacles.

* * *

Coral was locking up the restaurant the next night, Brody chattering away about the Avengers' most recent rescue, when the hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. She barely had time to pull Brody down before a RPG blasted through the door of the cafe, exploding in the building. Coral flipped her hair out of her face and snarled at the HYDRA agents bearing down on them. A relatively mobile group, she couldn't outrun them with Brody and they were undoubtedly surrounded. The only option would be to fight one-on-one to make-up for her lack of weapons. She opened her mouth to call out the leader, only for someone - something - to drop from the sky, making a small crater when they landed. Dressed in olive green leather with silver armor and carrying a hammer to rival Thor's stood-

"Sinthea?!" Coral cried.

"Hello, Coral. Or is it 'Cora' now? I'll be sure to use whichever one you don't prefer," Sinthea Schmidt smiled, looking like the cat that cornered the canary, Ophelia hovering at her shoulder.

"What happened to you?" Coral said, ignoring Brody's confused exclamations.

"I achieved my destiny; I am evil's heart, Mother Night's prize pupil, the sole heir to the wickedest man the world has ever known! You come looking for sin? _I AM SIN!_ "

"… Right, okay, what's with the hammer?" Coral sighed.

"Do you remember as children we were told the myths of Skadi and her magic hammer?" Coral's eyes widened. "Well, much like your Asgardian friend, there's more truth to the tales than once believed. And now, my rise becomes your fall."

"Sorry, but I've already fallen and I don't see myself getting up anytime soon. Come back when you have a reason for me to care!" Coral snarked. Sinthea shrugged.

"Well, then I can simply kill you both." The HYDRA mercenaries readied their weapons-

"Wait…" Sinthea cocked an eyebrow and Coral sighed, before dropping her bag.

"Unarmed one-on-one. I win, you and the rest of HYDRA surrender to the Avengers and the UN. You win-"

"I don't need terms. Winning against you will be satisfaction enough. And it's not as though you'd be able to stop me if I did win," Sin smirked, dropping her hammer with a _**THUD**_ that made Brody fall to his knees. "I'll even let you have the first punch." Sinthea rolled her shoulders, closed her eyes, and tilted her head to the sky. Coral frowned; it was a trap, but if she walked right into it in just the right way then she could end HYDRA in one punch. Just to make sure, she feinted one way then punched Sinthea Schmidt across the face in such a way that it should have knocked Captain America on his American/Star-Spangled ass. What Coral got was a hand that felt broken and a grinning Sinthea Schmidt.

"Oh dear. You've let yourself go. Retirement has ruined you," she clucked, dodging and swaying away from more of Coral's kicks and punches. She countered Coral's ear slam attack with a chokehold. "To be fair, even in your prime, you wouldn't be a match for me now. I am stronger, faster, more durable, with the power of a God."

"You're certainly not any smarter though," Coral choked out, breaking out of the hold and gasping for breath. "And you still talk too much."

 _ **WHAM!**_

Coral was thrown through the air and landed hard on the ground three yards away. "Takes one to know one." Sinthea said. Coral tried to flip herself up, but Sinthea shot across the battlefield and threw Coral again, halfway through the maneuver. Breathless from impact, Coral lay there as Sinthea towered over her. "You know, I'm a little disappointed. All these years building up to this fight… I thought you'd fight harder knowing your life depended on it."

As Sinthea raised her hammer over her head, Coral closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

 _ **Whack!**_

Sinthea slowly turned and Coral looked around her to see-

"Brody, no, get back-" Coral cried, only for Sinthea to send the young man flying, wooden plank still in his grasp as he was thrown through a brick wall. "Brody!" Coral clambered over the rubble to reach him, barely rolling out of the way as Sinthea threw her hammer at the desperate Avenger.

"Get back here, Coral, we're not finished yet!" Sinthea screamed, striding toward Coral as she got to her feet and disappeared behind the wall Brody had been pushed through. Ophelia grabbed her forearm before she could follow.

"Sin-" The hammer-wielding HYDRA head rounded on her second, with the eyes of a Fury. "Skadi, we need to go!" she said, gesturing to the approaching helicopters and assault vehicles of the Israeli forces.

"No, not until she's dead!" Sinthea screeched, pushing Ophelia away and breaking through what remained of the wall… only to find nothing, except a small trail of blood that vanished after a couple feet. Sinthea screamed and slammed her hammer down on the ground, the shockwave sending her forces tumbling to the ground and the Israeli helicopters careening this-way-and-that.

* * *

Coral sat in the hospital waiting room, head in her hands, elbows on her knees. A body slipped into the seat beside her's. "I thought you'd left," she said.

"I thought you'd given up," Sue Storm said.

"I tried."

"Me too."

"… I just keep wondering, is it HYDRA killing my friends, or am I the one who dooms them?"

Sue blinked and narrowed her eyes. "Is that why you haven't called me in six years?"

"That was to protect you. They almost found you once, I couldn't risk it happening again."

"It would have been worth it."

"Then you don't remember the worst of it." They sat in silence for a moment, remembering their fallen sisters.

"Come on," Sue said, standing and holding out her hand. "Let's get you patched up. We've got work to do." Coral looked between the hand and her friend's face, before grabbing it, and allowing herself to be pulled to her feet.

They strode out of the hospital together, a dark haired American woman asking them, "Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you, Miss-"

"No, no press-" Coral said, brushing past her, she and Sue halfway out the door.

"I'm a friend of a friend, please, let me in, just, Coral, it's about Bruce!" Coral stopped. The woman continued. "I'm Betty Ross. I'm, uh, Bruce's girlfriend."

Coral turned, look the woman over, and stated, "He's gone missing too."

Betty paused… then nodded.

* * *

"We were in Brazil," Betty explained back at Coral's emergency bunker. They listened, a Straight-Outta-Seoul Doctor Cho working furiously on Coral's injuries all the while. "This… thing came out of the sky. Landed right in front of us. Then Bruce - he started to change. I don't know what made him, but it wasn't the usual stuff. His eyes seemed almost… red. He told me to run. I came back and followed the trail of destruction, but it just… stopped."

"What day was this?" Coral asked.

"September 11th." The youngest Avenger promptly withdrew a pad seemingly from nowhere and before they knew it, everyone was looking at the Stark satellites' footage.

"Did you hack the Avengers' database?" Reed asked.

"Hack? My login still works," Coral scoffed. She zeroed in on the day in question. "Looks like the Avengers are already onto something. Several meteor-like objects entered Earth's atmosphere and landed on that day, one in the Lower East Side, one in Brazil, and five others in The Raft."

"The Raft?" Johnny asked.

"Super Secret prison for super powered people," Coral said pulling up five profiles with mugshots and extensive lists of crimes. "Five people went missing from the Raft that day: Cain Marko AKA failed super soldier turned mercenary who called himself the Juggernaut, Attuma an alien warlord Thor put away here, Mary MacPherran AKA Titania, the current Latverian dictator's Right Hand, Paul Duval AKA Grey Gargoyle chemist turned thief, and Carl Creel AKA Absorbing Man boxer turned HYDRA lackey. That makes nine when including Sinthea's Hammer," Coral said. Her brow furrowed when she went over it in her head, before she turned to Sue. "Do you remember the myths Chimera told us as kids?"

"Like the racist, antisemitic stuff?" Sue asked.

"No, the true myths, Norse and stuff."

"Vaguely," Sue shrugged. "I was the science geek remember?"

Coral sighed. "Well, among them was Skadi: the Jotun Frost Giantess with a hammer to rival Thor's. They said it fell to Earth and the Red Skull found it, but it was lost when he died."

"So, you're saying Sinthea's found it."

"It's worse. Skadi's goal, apart from killing her rival, was to destroy Midgard to free her Father, the Serpent, imprisoned by Odin underneath Midgard. She attempted to do it using her 'Worthy' warriors, other powerful beings with Hammers similar to hers: Kuurth: Breaker of Stone, Nerkkod: Breaker of Oceans, Skirn: Breaker of Men, Mokk: Breaker of Faith, Greithoth: Breaker of Wills, Angrir: Breaker of Souls, and Nul: Breaker of Worlds. They would all attack different parts of Midgard and break it apart, freeing the Serpent, who would then destroy Odin and Asgard." They all looked blankly at Coral, who rolled her eyes. "It's basically the earthly equivalent of Ragnarok."

"Oh… Is there anything on how to stop it?"

"Not really. Mythology tends to treat fate as an inevitability. These prophecies are not like the weather, they always happen, just not always as you think they will."

* * *

Ophelia stared out over the forges, Sinthea grumbling as she looked over maps and intelligence reports. "Did you really have to kill that poor boy?"

"What?" Sinthea growled, half in annoyance, half in confusion.

"The boy." Blank look. "Coral's friend." Recognition combined with apathy. "He was an ant biting an elephant."

"A swarm of ants may bring down much larger animals if allowed to grow in numbers. You used to understand this," Sinthea snarled. Ophelia took a deep breath, striding across the room and kneeling before her leader.

"Sinthea - Skadi - Whatever you are now, for the past seven months I have done everything you asked of me without question. Now… will you tell me the plan?"

Skadi lifted Ophelia's head, surveying her face, before smiling in a way that was an attempt at kind but came off as psychotic. "Perhaps you are right. You have been my most faithful follower. I have not trusted you as I should." Sinthea motioned and the door opened, Ophelia standing as it did, "Come, my friend, and I shall show you my plans for our new world."

* * *

"… Okay, first step for preventing Earthly Ragnarok should obviously include assembling the Avengers-" Reed Richards said.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but there's an outstanding international warrant for my arrest. If I drag the Avengers into this, they could be arrested for aiding and abetting a fugitive," Coral spat.

"Wait, does that mean we're-" Johnny started but was cut off by Susan.

"We need to at least send them a message-"

"Sinthea's my problem, not theirs. I don't need the Avengers, I can deal with this on my own!"

"At least let us stay to help you."

"I can't babysit a bunch of civilians-"

"I am not-" Sue stopped when she realized Coral was looking at the skinny Reed Richards, the hot-headed Johnny, and the delicate Betty Ross. "Fair enough. But they're smart. We can use that."

Coral frowned. "We can find a way to bring her down," Reed suggested. "A tranquilizer or something."

"I helped create and tame the Hulk; if you need help bringing down a superpowered being, I can help," Betty said.

" … I'm a pilot. I can chauffeur people?" Johnny asked. Sue closed her eyes and pinched her forehead as Reed snorted.

"… You'll follow my orders. To the letter. If I say pull-out, you'd better do it," Coral said. The others nodded and Coral breathed. "Alright. Let's do this."


	28. Confrontation

**A/N: Sorry it's late and forgive any spelling/grammatical errors. Midterms + Grandfather's visit = not a lot of time for writing.**

 **On the plus side, BLACK PANTHER WAS EVERYTHING I WANTED IT TO BE AND MORE! I'm probably not going to write a whole six chapters on it, as the story is already so perfect, I feel Coral's presence may detract/distract from it. BUT... who would be open to Shuri and Coral being best friends? Or possibly more? I think Coral's technically 18 by the time Civil War happens and Shuri's only 16, but we can always have them be best friends first and see how it develops.**

 **If nothing else, I'm considering making Coral Wakandan.**

Confrontation

"So, what do you think?" Sin asked, smirking expectantly at Ophelia, only to receive a blank stare.

"Sin… I don't understand," was all she said. Sin furrowed her brow.

"What's there to misunderstand?" Ophelia sighed, before crossing her arms and turning to her best friend.

"HYDRA was founded with the belief that the world cannot be trusted with its own security. This isn't security… it's destruction."

"Technically, HYDRA was founded millenia before that, a cult worshipping a now-dead Inhuman god. My Grandfather is the one who changed HYDRA's vision, made it one of purity and of transcending gods," Sinthea stated. "Consider this my… revamping of the original ideology."

"Revamping? This is betrayal. What happened to 'peace, security for all?'" Ophelia said, her voice becoming more and more distressed as time went on. Sinthea snorted, face turning even more red as she struggled to breathe through her laughter.

"You actually bought into that crap? Face it Ophelia, HYDRA's always been about one thing: world domination. And it's not going to happen at this point, so we'll go for the next best thing."

"No. This is not what I signed up for, Sin, how can you do this-" she stopped as Sin rounded on her, eyes burning like the forges outside the room.

"How can _you_ betray everything you believe in?" she asked before storming from the room.

"Oh, I have never done that, Sin… not once," Ophelia murmured to an empty room. "I am nothing if not loyal."

* * *

"Geologically speaking, it would make the most sense for her to do this on fault lines, just making the cracks in the Earth bigger," Coral said, using her portable hologram projector to show different maps of the Earth to her assembled team. Doctor Cho had gone to the hospital to help Brody in his recovery, leaving Sue, Reed, and Betty to help her plan as Johnny was relegated to guard duty. "But if I know Sinthea, and I believe I do, she'll want the most possible casualties and will probably hit places with high population densities."

"She and the remaining HYDRA soldiers are also superstitious fanatics so they'll probably try and have her locations correspond to the hammers," Sue said, looking over locations.

"You and Reed focus on spots that correspond to more than one factor: geologically, population-size, and fittingness to the Hammers." Sue nodded and got to work with Reed.

"How are those tranquilizers coming, Betty?" Coral asked, heading to the dilapidated lab section.

"They're coming, but there's problems," Betty Ross said. "This isn't the cleanest or best stocked laboratory, so the solutions are weaker. You'll either have to use a greater dosage, which could stop her heart, or risk her not being put out at all."

"If worse comes to worse, we can use a greater dosage. I'm not particularly concerned about her heart as I'm almost certain she doesn't have one. Even if she did, she'll probably be able to survive without it, so focus on making more rather than purer amounts."

"Hey, boss?" Johnny called, breaking the group from their planning. "Someone here to see you. She let me disarm her and everything." He stepped aside to reveal-

"Ophelia?" Coral breathed, taking in her former best friend, handcuffed in a HYDRA head uniform. Ophelia rolled her shoulders and held herself at full height, though it did little to fight her short stature.

"I go by Madame HYDRA now," she said. Coral blinked and pursed her lips.

"Ophelia, you're nineteen."

"Well, somebody was still using Viper-"

"I was as much a Viper as you and Sinthea."

"'Was.' Anyway, HYDRA's rebranding isn't what I came to talk about. Or, yes it is, but not in the way you think," Ophelia said. She motioned to her handcuffs, but relented when Coral shook her head. "That Hammer's driven Sinthea insane. She has the plans to destroy the world and, worse, she has the means to do it."

"We know. The Hammers of Skadi and her Worthy Warriors plan to free The Serpent. We're already working on the where they'll hit and how we'll stop them-"

"I can give you all the specifics: who has which hammer, where they'll be, when they'll strike, how she's coordinating this. In exchange, you get that Hammer as far away from Sinthea as possible, but you cannot kill her," Ophelia said.

Coral exaggeratedly pretended to think it over, before shaking her head. "Gee, sorry, but I don't work with Nazis anymore, call me back when Hel freezes over."

"Coral-" Sue started but was cut off.

"Sue, you don't know her like I do. She'll backstab us all if it means she gets nice pat on the head from HYDRA," Coral said and Ophelia bristled.

"Look, I know you don't have any reason to trust me-"

"Trust! I have no reason to do anything other than kill you," Coral snapped, starling her teammates. "My friend almost died in your attack. Do you have anything to say to that?"

"He should have run. He had no business interfering in that fight-"

Ophelia was cut of by a strike across the face from Coral. She broke her fall, hand slipping out of her cuffs as though they'd never been there at all. When she rose, her hair had been pushed out of her face, revealing the half of her face that was red and brown with burns, slouching down her face like a candle melted on one side. Everyone started back when they saw it, and even Coral flinched.

"Now you see me. Or what you've done to me," Ophelia said, raising her chin in defiance.

"You did that?" Reed Richards asked. Coral looked away from her teammates as Ophelia snorted.

"She did more than that. Didn't you hear what she got her arrest warrant for? Butchered an entire HYDRA base, from the soldiers to the scientists. Mother would have been proud."

"She's not my mother," Coral murmured so softly, they barely heard her. She frowned and turned to face Ophelia.

"I.. _am_ sorry… about your face," she said. Ophelia tossed her hair behind her, revealing more of the scar.

"I rather like it. Makes me look older, more dangerous," she said.

"You're still a child-"

"Like you," Ophelia said. She blinked and looked down. "Maybe we were all too young for this fight. But it's easier to teach a young dog new tricks. Maybe we can learn them together," she said, raising a hand to shake. Coral went to grab it but stopped when she remembered all the times that hand had been raised against her. Ophelia noticed this and dropped her hand, face hardening. "Forget it. I should have known better. You never care about the greater good, you only care about being right."

"You have a lot of nerve to talk to me about the greater good,'" Coral spat as Ophelia moved for the exit. "You were happy to let them torture me, erase my very being-"

"Now you know what it feels like," Ophelia said and Coral stopped. "Ah, there it is. The secret shame."

"HYDRA had brainwashed you. Apart from painful deprogramming, the best way to do that was a clean slate."

"So instead of brainwashing, I had my brain wiped. So much better," Ophelia said. Coral moved to hit her again, but Ophelia dodged. The two started to grapple instead.

"Both of you, stop this, we're grown women, not man-children!" Sue cried.

"Stay out of this, Sue, you don't understand even half of the situation so stop acting like you know everything."

"Wait, so you were always like that?" Johnny asked, before he had to dodge Coral being thrown at where he was standing. Ophelia lept atop her, only for Coral to wrap her legs around her neck and turn them over so she was on top. Ophelia broke the hold and the two leapt to their feet and began exchanging blows.

"Maybe if you had chosen me over HYDRA even once I would have trusted you to make a choice," Coral shouted, parrying Ophelia's blows and retaliating with her own, only for those to be parried in turn. "You helped me. Healed me after the beatings, showed me how to pull off maneuvers I couldn't quite get right. But you never once stood up for me. And every time I talked about so much as leaving, you called me a traitor and told me that that Hel was home. How could I not choose S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"You traded one head of the HYDRA for another-"

Coral screamed and, using all her enhanced strength, threw Ophelia across the room, into Dr. Ross' laboratory. Betty screamed and Sue pulled her out of the way as Ophelia and Coral began wrestling and rolling over the remains of the lab, Ophelia carefully avoiding any spilled liquids. The vials and beakers crashed to the floor, ground to near dust under the constantly moving boots of the two teenage assassins. There seemed to be no end; Coral would take a hit to the face, Ophelia a kick to the gut. They would go for attacks at the same time, hair-pulls and grabbed punches, only to be forced to break off due to equal skill and strength. All the while, Coral's group watched in petrified awe. Eventually, Coral and Ophelia flipped each other onto the ground, knocking the breath from both of their lungs. And they stopped. They just lay there gasping for breath, faces but a foot apart from where each of them had fallen. Bleeding from small cuts left by broken glass, bruises already starting to form, adrenaline wearing off so they were left with their tears and pain.

"Why are we even fighting?" Coral asked, arm across her face as though hiding from the lights of the bunker, Ophelia, HYDRA, the world.

"It's what we were raised to do," Ophelia said, coughs racking her broken ribs. "It's what we've always done, regardless of how we were raised." Coral sighed and left her head fall back on the glassy dust.

"I'm tired of fighting. Half the reason I left the Avengers is because I didn't want to fight anymore."

They went silent for a moment before Ophelia chuckled. Coral started at her and Ophelia explained, "It's truly amazing how you can face down gods, aliens, and bullets, but facing disappointed people sends you running." They lay on the floor for a while longer, among the broken glass and cold concrete, until discomfort won out over exhaustion and they pulled each other up, keeping hold on each others arms even as they stood. "I meant what I said: Mother Night would've been proud of you. You and all the Avengers could've been great HYDRA soldiers."

"Nat's a former communist, Barton is disabled, Tony's a mentally-ill alcoholic, Bruce and Steve hate bullies, Thor loves all living creatures, Wanda is a Jewish Romani descendant of Holocaust survivors, and I am a Black Jewish woman. In what universe would we be good Nazis?" Coral asked. Ophelia shrugged but appeared to concede the point. They stared at each other, then the maps of the world and all the places Sinthea could strike. "I can't promise anything: this is war and things happen. But I will try to bring her home to you… on the condition I never have to see her again, on the news or otherwise," Coral said. Ophelia nodded.

"I can do that. I may need some help from Dr. Ross in case her powers should remain after she is separated from the Hammer, but I swear that I will not let her out of my sight."

So, Coral and Ophelia clasped forearms and touched foreheads as they did when making promises as children in the Viper program, before they turned to face the horrified and awestruck crowd still standing there.

"Let's get to work, shall we?" Coral said.

* * *

"Have you seen Ophelia anywhere?" Brock Rumlow asked Sin as she destroyed the stone training dummies their workers were having to assemble on a daily basis.

"Not since we talked. She said she needed some air," she said, beheading a dummy that was wearing an auspicious wig of micro braids not unlike Coral King's. Rumlow blinked.

"Skadi, that was yesterday."

"Was it? Time is goes so fast when you're on a higher plane," Sin said, shrugging as she walked off, not having even broken a sweat during the exercise.

"Maybe to you," he muttered. Unfortunately, Sin had also acquired super-hearing with the Hammer and so she turned to him, swinging her hammer like 50s police baton.

"Something wrong?" she asked. He pursed his lips but otherwise did not move. Sin appeared to soften, swinging the hammer across her back before taking his face in both her hands. "Brock, I may be above mortals now, but even I can tell something's bothering you."

"I'm just worried that this is turning into one of those 'all-bark-no-bite' HYDRA plans," he said. Sinthea smiled sinisterly and pressed a kiss to his mouth, then one to his cheek, the underside of his jaw, until she made it to his ear.

"Oh, Brock," she whispered. "I don't want to _cow_ the world. I want to _burn_ it to ashes and cinders… But first, I'm to paint this world _red_ with her blood." She pushed him away and he stumbled and by the time he regained his footing, she'd swept down the hall, trailing a mix of an icy wind and a burning breeze.


	29. Rogue

**A/N: Clubs + Final Projects + Finals + Moving Out of Dorms + Infinity War Fallout Depression = Literally no writing done. My apologies. Love you guys, forgive this for not being BETA read, and hope you enjoy.**

 **Question: Since Coral is either going to be with Cap or in Wakanda and those sections were very short, should I use them to build the story that is there, or should I build on what happened in-between CA:CW and A:IW? Or should I make half of it Coral being in Black Panther and the other half is IW?**

Rogue

"Remind me again why we're trusting Ophelia?" Sue Storm asked as everyone suited up in S.H.I.E.L.D. Coral had hidden away in the bunker years before.

"Because she's the lesser evil and at least her delusions of grandeur do not involve world destruction," Coral said.

"Just domination," Sue snarked. Coral shrugged, which caused her sister to frown. "Seriously, have you thought this through? What if this is a trap? What if she's just manipulating you-"

"With all due respect, Sue, this is not my first rodeo while in many ways, it is for you," Coral said sharply before softening her voice, "We will use Doctor Ross' concoctions to keep her sedated, then you and Ross will turn her hammer and Rumlow over to the Avengers and NATO while I get her as far away from that hammer as possible; you all probably get nice medals and be approved for your shuttle mission for sure, and the last head of HYDRA will be cut off."

"And you'll spend the rest of your days a fugitive?" Sue asked. Coral shrugged again.

"It's not that bad; I'll get to see the world, live free."

"… What about Ophelia?"

"What about her?"

"You really think she's never going to resurrect HYDRA? And how do you make certain of that?"

"That depends on her," Coral said as she started

"You're going to ask to come with her," Sue said incredulously. Coral didn't look at her. Sue grabbed her and turned her around, though Coral immediately broke the hold. "You know she won't accept that."

"I'm not going to give her an option; either it's the three of us together on the run or we all have matching prison cells at the Raft. I don't see much in-between."

Sue seemed to soften at that, setting a gentle hand on her sister's shoulder. "Coral… you're nowhere near as bad as they are."

Coral shook off the hand and stalked off. "Tell that to the rest of the world."

* * *

"So you've found her," Sinthea asked over their video chat.

"Found her, infiltrated her, played her, I've done it all," Ophelia said to Sinthea, who grinned.

"Excellent. We'll arrive shortly." She wiped the feed and then woke Rumlow, who had been sleeping shirtless in her bed. "Prepare the Quinjet. We're leaving within the hour."

* * *

Their Quinjet landed shortly before sunset, in an abandoned town several miles from any settlements. No signs of human life or a bunker.

"I don't like this," Rumlow said, clicking his safety off as he surveyed the town.

"You don't need to like it," Sinthea rolled her eyes. "We just need to get her."

 _ **pvip**_

Sinthea paused as she plucked a dart out of her skin. She heard Rumlow raise his gun, only to be immediately knocked down, but for some reason she couldn't react. She felt herself dropping, people grabbing her and attempting to tear her hammer away (you can't have it it's _mine_ it chose _**me**_ ) and looked up, expecting so to see that always smirking Coral King… but instead saw her true sister. _Ophelia_.

"You were going to destroy the world, Sin. I can't let that happen," Ophelia said. Sinthea didn't respond. "Please, don't make me do this. Mother Night wouldn't want this. She wouldn't want us to kill each other." Skadi fought to cover her ears and throw off the people trying to pry her hand off the hammer. "Sin, you've known me your whole life… You are not Skadi. Your name is Sinthea Susan Schmidt."

"Shut up!" Sin said, throwing a punch that Ophelia swayed away from with ease. She threw punch after punch, almost throwing herself off balance with each one. fight me fight back please just give me a reason to hate you

"I'm not gonna fight you. You're my sister."

"You're my enemy. Anyone who's not with me is my enemy!" she cried.

"No, I'm not," Ophelia said, shaking her head. "Mother Night just wanted you to think that. We're sisters in everything but blood, and even that we spilled for each other. But if that's not enough, then finish it."

Sinthea thought back to all the training sessions, patch-ups, battles, and near-death encounters, the literal blood, sweat, and tears they had wrought and shed together. Her grip on the hammer slackened… until she remembered Mother Night and her father and grandfather and her grip returned, stronger than ever. She threw off the and swung the hammer to end her conflict forever, only for a swing from a sword to block her blow from making contact.

* * *

The five milligrams of Carfentanil in that dart should've put her into a freaking elephant into a coma and yet Sinthea FUCKING Schmidt just kept charging, Coral couldn't help but think. So here she was, all her back-up unconscious or at least thrown to the side while she desperately tried to fight a literal godly hammer with her katana.

"You turned her against me!" Sinthea screamed.

"You did that yourself!"

"You always take everything! My sisters, Mother Night-"

"Mother Night got herself killed, just as you're going to if you keep talking," Coral said. Sinthea screamed and appeared to gain some of her lucidity with her rage. Coral was barely able to dodge her swings and could feel her sword shake with every blow. If she hadn't known any better, she would say she could hear her sword cracking. But it was made of Adamantium, forged by Tony Stark himself. It couldn't just-

 _ **CLANG!**_

 _ **SNAP!**_

Sinthea's blow hit Coral's Katana so hard it broke the near-unbreakable sword and sent the young former Avenger sprawling into the dust. Coral coughed, desperately trying to recover as Sinthea advanced on her.

 _ **pvip**_

Sinthea growled and rounded on Sue Storm, was reloading the dart gun with more Carfentanil. Sinthea attempted to advance but was instead hit by one, two, three more darts, which sent her to the ground, hammer slipping from her grip. Trying one last time, she lunged.

 _ **Bang!**_

Sinthea cried out as Sue Storm switched from a dart gun to a real one, the bullet tearing through her thigh. Then Sue Storm was the one advancing, even as Coral warned, "Sue, don't…"

Instead, Sue got closer, turning the barely conscious Sinthea over with her boot, grimacing as though nudging roadkill. "You're pathetic. Access to the greatest power on the planet and you waste it doing magic tricks — then trying to best a woman who'd never really harm you, despite your endless provocation. But that's the difference between my sister and me. She doesn't understand revenge. Me? I can't decide which of the many ways I can hurt you I'm going to use," Sue said, activating a portable energy shield she'd found in Coral's weapons stock. She then began beating Sinthea with it, across the face, with uppercuts to the jaw, blows to the stomach, kidneys, and diaphragm.

"Sue, stop!" Coral cried, dragging her off of a near unconscious Sinthea.

"She's killed dozens of people, if not hundreds. How can you defend her?" Sue cried, gesturing to Johnny and Reed who were just now regaining consciousness.

"We take our enemies alive, Sue-"

"Like you did at Jörmungandr base?" Coral stiffened and Sue faltered for a moment before standing tall. "Face it, Coral, you're not running from NATO and the Avengers; you're running from what you did."

"Guys!" Johnny Storm shouted. Coral and Sue turned to see Ophelia helping Sinthea get away.

"Ophelia, stop, we had a deal-"

"And I intend to keep it. Get that hammer away from her and I'll keep her away from any population centers," Ophelia said, doing her best to drag along the mostly unconscious but still resistant demigoddess. She seemed to soften as she locked eyes with Coral. "Nice knowing you-"

 _ **Bang!**_

Ophelia fell as a bullet ripped through her leg. Everyone hit the deck as Rumlow raced across the field and snatched up Sinthea, throwing her over his shoulder and hauling her back to the Quinjet.

"She's getting away!" Sue cried, taking cover with Johnny and Reed behind rubble as Rumlow covered their escape with a spray of bullets.

"Not if I can help it," Coral said, drawing the sniper rifle that she'd used against Loki, before setting it up… and aiming for a kill shot.

"No!" Ophelia screamed, jumping in the way of the titanium bullet. Even with her body armor, it blew through her like a watermelon. But her body provided enough resistance that the bullet was diverted from its course so it only hit Sinthea in the shoulder and not the heart. Ophelia fell to the ground and Sinthea summoned her hammer, which flew her up to her waiting HYDRA Quinjet, grabbing Rumlow along the way.

"Shoot her!" Sue yelled, but all Coral could focus on was Ophelia. She was looking at her. Blood was blooming from her lips. And she was in pain. So much pain. She was slumped down, breathing fast. Coral couldn't breathe at all. Ophelia was still looking at her. She vaguely heard Sue shouting and then felt her snatch the rifle from her grasp to shoot at the retreating HYDRA heads in the echoes of her mind, but couldn't process it correctly because Ophelia was lying there, bleeding out and no one else seemed to realize that. But she stared at her, right in the eyes, and she wanted to say so sorry. So very sorry.

So she dropped to her knees and then her hands and then started crawling because that's all she could do. She crawled next to Ophelia, into the growing pool of her sister's blood, but didn't touch her. She didn't dare touch her. Instead, she opened her mouth, to say something, anything, apologize, ask why she sacrificed herself, why she always chose Sinthea over her, when Ophelia grabbed her hand. She then maneuvered her head into Coral's lap and, staring up at her sister, said, "Don't be frightened… and certainly do not worry, dear… I'm not too angry at you for killing me. In fact, I'm quite grateful that what you did led to this." Coral blanched and Ophelia stared at the darkening sky. "Perhaps one day someone will return the favor… Wish it, that your corpse looks so pleasing."

She went limp.

Her eyes were still staring.

They weren't seeing.

Coral felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, guide her back to her feet and away from the body.

Because it wasn't Ophelia.

It would never be Ophelia again.

* * *

"Any luck tracking them?" Sue asked Johnny and Reed as Dr. Cho and Dr. Ross started treating Coral's wounds.

"No, but I think we have confirmed where they're going to strike; there's freak snow storms starting over Mount Everest, the Mariana Trench, Johannesburg, Jerusalem, Manhattan, the Amazon, and the Austrian Alps," Reed said, showing her the world weather map. "They came out of absolutely nowhere and have similar energy readings to New Mexico during Thor's time there. If these energy levels keep building at these levels, we have maybe thirty hours before they reach catastrophic levels."

"Alright, that's where the action is. Let's go," Sue said.

"No," said a voice and Sue, Reed, and Johnny looked up to see Coral glaring at them. "You're not coming."

"You can't be serious," Sue said. "You need back-up-"

"What I need is people who will listen to me. I gave you direct orders, you didn't follow them."

"Maybe if you weren't so focused on keeping Ophelia happy-"

"If you hadn't been so focused on hurting Sinthea, we wouldn't have gotten distracted and HYDRA might be headless at last." Sue had nothing to say to that. Coral sighed and shook her head. "Go back to New York, Susan. This isn't a free-for-all. You work as a team and listen to the leader, or you get benched." Coral turned away and stalked toward the door.

"You loved her, didn't you?" Sue asked. Coral stopped and turned back around.

"What?"

"Ophelia. You loved her," Sue said. Coral blinked.

"I love all my sisters."

"Not that kind of love." Coral seemed to freeze, knuckles whitening as she clutched the door and her lips parting as she looked down, deep in thought as she considered Sue's words. Sue swallowed. "I'm sorry." She headed for the exit, Reed and Johnny right behind her.

"Do you want to help?" Coral called out and they turned to see her, slightly wet-eyed.

"Yes," Sue said sincerely.

"There is one thing you can do," Coral said.

* * *

Coral stood in the middle of a field, starting up at the Milky Way; somewhere up there was the man she needed. She just had to get his attention.

"Hey, uh… Thor or Heimdall or Whomever the fuck is up in Asgard listening… I need help," Coral said, voice clear and growing in strength with every word. "I can't do this alone, but I can't tell the Avengers without risking more harm than good. Will you help me?"

Silence.

Coral stood in that field for several minutes. Nothing. She closed her eyes and sighed through her nose. Just as she turned to leave, a rainbow spread across the sky, a bolt of lightning cutting across it, though there was no rain nor clouds nor sunlight.

Cora smiled, lightning reflected in her eyes.


	30. Fear Itself

**A/N: Good news: I am back with four new chapters! Bad news: School will be starting up again soon so I might be back to inconsistent updates. Other** **(good?) news: I will be adding a couple of chapters for the _Black Panther_ section, which will give me time to figure out Viper's fate in _Infinity War_** **.  
**

 **Anyway, warning that these chapters have not been BETA read, but I figured you guys have waited long enough. Thank you for your patience and please review** **!**

Fear Itself

Across the planet, two vipers put on their armored skins, sharpened their fangs, flexed their tails. Today would decide who the true Viper was. Today would decide the fate of the world.

After today, there would be only one Viper left.

* * *

"It is time," Skadi said, staring out over the mountain range, snow gentle floating around her. Kissing Rumlow once, she turned to the magic bubble screens that showed six other warriors in Asgardian style armor, wielding hammers like her own. "The time has come, my Worthy; now, we must place our spikes and hammer them into the Earth to awaken the Serpent. Then, by his grace we shall all ascend to Asgard and Jotunheim and all the other Realms until all have fallen to our might and we may finally rest victorious in the the great halls of Valhalla. Are you with me?" she asked. Rhetorically, of course. Even if most of them hadn't been criminals before gaining the hammers, they were all relatively mindless, brainwashed drones, meant only to fulfill the will of Skadi, the Serpent's daughter. Nevertheless, they roared in approval and pumped their hammers in the air.

Rumlow then tossed Skadi the massive spike made of the vibranium they had recovered from the fall of Sokovia. She caught it with ease and looked at the screen to see her Worthy readying their own spikes. She placed hers on the Earth, they did the same, and she swore she could feel the Earth vibrate with the potential energy of what was to come. She raised the hammer over her head-

 _ **Thunk!**_

There was the sound of a body falling behind her. Skadi stopped. "You know, in spite of everything, I'm glad you're here," she said, turning to face The Viper, who had a semi-conscious Rumlow under her boot. She looked around the mountain range. "Do you remember this place?" The Viper glared. "Of course you do; these were the training grounds of our youth, after all. It felt right, ending it all here. Where it all began." She pointed to a mountain so far away it could barely be seen through the snow storm. "You know, that mountain was HYDRA's main headquarters from the Forties? And yet it took twelve years for anyone to find us. Amazing." She turned to her former sister. "You're usually quipping around this time. Serpent got your tongue?"

The Viper exhaled and licked her lips, before she finally spoke: "Ophelia Sarkissian." Skadi blinked. "Also known as The Viper and Madame HYDRA. Remember her? Because somewhere inside of you is Sinthea Schmidt: Granddaughter of the cloned Johann Schmidt/the Red Skull, Daughter of Reinholdt Kragor Schmidt/Electro, favored pupil of Susan Scarbo/Mother Night, and heir apparent of HYDRA. And you know what, Ophelia was her best friend. Her _only_ friend. Everyone else was just in the way or there for her to use as she liked. Apart from Mother Night, Ophelia was the only person Sinthea might've cared about. And she's _dead_ now. She took a bullet meant for _you_ , that would've _killed_ you, all because she believed you were the path to a better world. You've never let her down before… don't do it now, Sin," Coral said, reaching out her left hand for Sinthea to take. Sinthea began to reach out to take it, Rumlow attempting to choke something out from under Coral's boot to stop her… before she smirked and swung her hammer, breaking the wrist of Coral's outstretched hand. Coral cried out, barely sidestepping Skadi's next few swings.

"FOOL! Ophelia Sarkissian was always just a pawn, a means to an end. A useful tool, yes, but still a tool. Easily bought, easily made, easily replaced. Just like you. You're just another one of the ninety-six disposable girls, all of whom had the same training, the same experiences, the same _life_. What makes you more than just another disposable toy soldier girl?" Skadi laughed as Coral flipped away to a safe distance, long enough that she could bring out her instant cast maker spray and cover her wrist in it. Then, gritting her teeth, she stood, drawing her broken katana and a small S.H.I.E.L.D. energy shield.

"Because I am an Avenger," she said, raising her broken sword over her head, shield wrapped around the newly set cast. "Because I fought back and will continue to fight back, not just against HYDRA, but anyone and _everyone_ who harms the innocent or attempts to justify their wrongs in the name of security. Because I am the Viper and you're my prey."

Skadi wasn't laughing now. She scowled. "So be it, Viper. You'll be the first to fall." She threw her hammer at Viper, only for her to sidestep.

"Sin, come on, you know you can't beat me. You may have been Mother Night's prize, but you always sucked when it came to actual fighting. Or thinking. Or being anything other than the embodiment of 'Aryan Perfection.' Even then, Svetlana fit that role better and… well you know what happened to her," Viper said. Skadi charged at her, hammer in hand again, only for Viper to once again sidestep her charging opponent, complete with swatting her backside with the butt of her sword. Skadi roared and swung, only to miss Viper by a mile.

"Seriously, I've fought alongside Thor and let me tell you, you wield that thing like a five-year-old who found her daddy's hammer in the garage," Viper smirked. Panting heavily, Skadi charged again, almost falling off the mountain as Viper dodged.

"Mother Night put up way more of a fight. Her blows hurt and I was high as a Woodstock flower child when I killed her." Skadi screamed again and swung again and again, only for Coral to sidestep, slip under, and somersault around her ever blow. Skadi panted heavily, vision blurring from a combination of rage and exhaustion.

"Do you need a break? A time out? Water, snacks? Just trying to look out for you," Viper asked. Skadi screamed again and, dropping the hammer, attempted to run her opponent down like a rhinoceros, only slam into the mountain and be covered in an avalanche of snow, ice, and rock.

"Okay, wow. Overreacting a bit, aren't we-" Viper cut herself off when she spotted the hammer flying toward her. She raised her shield, but the blow still shattered the device, knocked the wind from her lungs, and sent her flying across the mountain and almost over the edge.

"Farewell, Coral. No one shall miss you," Skadi sneered, dragging her hammer behind her leisurely as she stalked toward the barely stirring Viper. Pressing a boot to her stomach to keep Viper down and away from her sword, Skadi raised her hammer over her head, apparently victorious. "This is how you will die. Alone. Your family is non-existent, your friends nowhere in sight. And you. Failing to save a world that never gave a damn about you."

"Except I'm not alone. I never was," Viper said. As though on cue, both Viper and Skadi's devices beeped. "You really thought I'd be stupid enough to think I could take you and your 'Worthy' down on my own?"

Skadi looked at his and brought up her magic bubble monitors that showed her Worthy… engaged with the Avengers, all armed with Asgardian Weapons, from Ironman/War Marchine suits to staffs to a bow and arrows to shields. Skadi saw her Breaker of Stone felled by the combined power of Thor, Lady Sif, and the Warriors three, her Breaker of Oceans set aflame by War Machine and Ironman's hail, her Breaker of Men broken by Black Widow and Scarlet Witch, her Breaker of Faith fail when confronted with Hawkeye, Falcon, and a near-invisible yet strong hero, her Breaker of Wills waver against Vision, her Breakers of Souls falter when faced with Captain America, and her incredible, hulking Breaker of Worlds refuse to swing her hammer against his own world of Betty Ross, now in her Red Hulk form. It wasn't just the Avengers; the defenders of Hell's Kitchen appeared to be tag teaming against the Breaker of Souls while Sue, Johnny, and Reed attempted to pry the hammer away from their possessed friend. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. helped subdue the Breaker of Wills, AKA the Absorbing Man who they had faced before. And the last, most insulting blow were perhaps-

"My sisters," Sinthea murmured, seeing dozens of teenage girls, fighting the creatures conjured by the Worthy.

"Tell me who's alone now, Sin," Coral said. Skadi turned away from the screens and pointed her hammer at her enemy.

"You were stalling me?" she cried.

"Duh."

Skadi screamed and brought her hammer down on her opponent. Viper tripped her and dodged every one of Skadi and her hammer's blows, until she managed to get a slice to Skadi's face, right at her hairline. Rather than brushing the cut off, Skadi faltered, traced the cut, before pressing and wrenching at it. "RAH!" Skadi screamed, tearing at the flesh of her face until it peeled back to reveal-

"Oh. You… have a red skull now…" Viper said, too shocked to vomit as her former sister tore her face off like a mask. "… Okay?" Viper did her best to recover, but it was unnerving. Unnerving enough that Skadi's next swing hit, sending her sword sailing through the air until it landed handle up in the snow bank. Viper attempted to dive for it, only for Skadi's hammer to hit its handle and shatter it into a thousand pieces. Frozen from shock at finding herself completely disarmed, Viper barely rolled away from the next blow. She kept dodging and somersaulting away, only realizing too late that Skadi was herding her so that she was boxed in by steep mountain peak, the unyielding stone surrounding her as Skadi closed in. Viper kneeled on the icy earth, closed her eyes, and breathed deeply.

"Now you die!" Skadi screamed.

"Not today," Viper said. Skadi raised her hammer and Viper drew another sword handle, with the blade appearing to grow as it was drawn. Just as Skadi swung the hammer down, Viper cut it down the middle. A massive shockwave released and blew the debris around them backwards. When the dust settled, Skadi's hammer was in two pieces and Viper's new Asgardian sword was at her throat.

" … Do it," Skadi said. Viper blinked. Skadi pressed herself closer and a cut appeared at her neck, blood dripping down. "You know you want to. I am the reason for your suffering. Your sisters' suffering. My grandfather made HYDRA what it was. My father started our eugenics program. The Viper's Nest was created to foster me and my future lieutenants. Svetlana, Coulson, Ophelia, they would all be alive if it weren't for me."

Viper pressed the sword closer for a moment… before withdrawing it entirely.

"That's not for me to decide," was all she said.

There was a change in the air and Coral looked to the side to see the Bifrost open up and beam Thor and an old, one-eyed man in gold she assumed to be Odin, Allfather of the Universe.

"Thanks for the weapon, Thor!" she said, retracting the blade of her sword.

"Thank you for recovering the hammers," Thor said, pulling her into one of his infamous hugs. "They have been missing for millennia, and even for Asgardians that was concerning."

"No problem. Say, I don't suppose I can keep the sword," she asked.

"Those swords are Asgardian. They belong in Asgard," Odin sneered at her. Coral rolled her eyes, but stiffened when Sinthea started laughing.

"What?" she asked. Sinthea just kept laughing. "What?"

"You don't see it."

"See what?" Coral asked. But Sinthea just shook her head.

"You don't even see who he is, what he's hiding!"

"Spit it out!" Sinthea just shook her head.

"You think _I'm_ the idiot! Wait until you realize who you're talking to."

"The King of Asgard is who you are talking to," Odin said. Sinthea snorted.

"Keep telling yourself that." That seemed to ignite his fury and the Allfather turned on her, eyes burning as bright as his scepter spear.

" _Villain!_ In my name - _you die today!_ " he shouted, bringing the scepter spear down on Sinthea.

"NO!" Coral yelled, but it was lost in Sinthea's scream as she was immolated to ashes, her armor and red skull the only things remaining. Coral kneeled next to the ashes of her former sister, reaching out even as they blew away in the breeze. She clenched her fist. "She was supposed to stand trial."

"What do I care for your petty mortal ways? She is in Hel now, her penance will be served," Odin said.

"That's not the point! You may be King of Asgard, but you're just another Alien invader here," she spat, Thor attempting to move between the two.

"Mind your tongue, young one," Odin said.

"I've fought both your sons and come out unscathed, you don't scare me-" she said.

"I should," he said, his spear burning bright again.

"Father!" Thor cried and that seemed to break part of his father's fury… or at least remind him of his role. "Please. She is impudent, but she is a young, reckless Midgardian. She treats everyone with this same disrespect. Please. She has recovered the Hammers and helped us defeat Skadi. I ask not for your forgiveness, but your mercy, on her behalf."

"… Very well. On the condition that she apologize," Odin said, smirking at Coral in a way that reminded her of Loki. _I guess that's who Loki got it from._

"Oh, I'll apologize. I'm sorry you're such a-" But then Thor gave her a desperate, pleading look. So, she did what she had always done: grit her teeth and get it over with. "I apologize, Allfather. After the heat of battle, my tongue ran off without me. I didn't mean to disrespect your authority or wisdom. I humbly ask for your mercy."

Odin's smile seemed just as smarmy as his smirk. "You have it, little one. Just remember next time to respect your betters."

 _Fuck you, I will when I see them again_ , Coral couldn't help but think.

"Come, my son. We must collect the other hammers," he said, sending Skadi's hammer back up the Bifrost. Coral looked to the still active holographic screens and saw US Special Forces and the Joint Counter Terrorism Task Force closing in on the Hulk, Betty Ross having already been captured.

"Wait!" Coral cried. Surprisingly, Thor and Odin stopped. "I have one thing to ask."


	31. Goodbye

**A/N: One-Shots for people who reviewed the most recent six chapters:** **Ant-Man** **(While on the run, Viper reacts to the events of Ant-Man), Vision** **(From her prison cell, Coral begins to learn more about Vision), Scarlet Witch** **(** ** **From her prison cell, Coral begins to learn more about Wanda Maximoff** ), Coulson ******(** Coulson visits Coral in her cell)** **, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2** **(** ** **Viper reacts to the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol**** ** ** **. 2, as told by Thor**** ), Peter's got Powers ****(While she's on the run, Coral finds out Peter Parker is going through some... changes. And he needs help. And she needs non-super friends). Also taking requests if you reviewed every chapter.  
**

Goodbye

The Bifrost scorched its marks into the ground of the Amazon, burning the already devastated vegetation. Coral emerged from the blaze and walked straight for the still raging Hulk. Her eyes drank him up, knowing in her heart that this was an end.

"Hey, Big Guy," she called to him and the Hulk rounded on her. "Remember me?" He snorted and huffed and sniffed at her… but didn't attack and jerked his head at her. She smiled. "I knew you would. You're so smart." She reached her hand out to him and he slowly started to raise it back.

 _ **Ratatatatatata!**_

The Hulk pulled away and growled as they both jumped at the sound. Coral slumped; the Task Force were closing in and they weren't above using deadly force. Lucky for them, she was. Turning to the Hulk and brushing his arm, she said, "You've gotta go now. They're gonna be looking for you and if they find you, it won't be good for you or Puny Banner. You have to go," she said, nudging him in the opposite direction of the noise. He continued to huff and snort and hesitated when she moved in the direction of the shots. Tears in her eyes, Coral picked up a heavy rock and threw it in his direction. "Go!" It bounced off of him without leaving a mark. Instead, the Hulk stared at her sadly, a hint of Banner in his eyes… before he turned and charged off into the forest. Coral watched him vanish from sight, before turning around and heading for the gunfire.

* * *

"Alright, we should be able to hear this thing coming from a mile away but stay sharp guys. Just because our guns can take out the Red Hulk doesn't mean it can take The Big Guy," Captain Everett Ross said to his agents as they crept through the trees. He was surveying their progress, positions, and heart rates on a screen back at HQ. Suddenly, a soldier on the edge of the formation's heart rate and brainwave activity dropped. He's been knocked unconscious. "We have hostiles, gentlemen. Eyes up and tighten formation."

The men stopped their advancement and closed ranks, but not before they lost two more men, neither of whom were near each other but were taken out within seconds of each other, nonetheless. Even with night vision and comms on silent, the only things they could see were the typical chatter and movement of Amazon rainforest. That is, until the Viper struck. Dropping from the branches and vines above, she quickly knocked the soldiers down, throwing their guns out of their reach before engaging them in hand-to-hand. Even exhausted and injured, the Viper proved herself an Avenger, taking out the handful of men in a minute. Unfortunately, the Task Force had not underestimated the manpower it would take to capture, much less put down, the Hulk and the reinforcements arrived a moment later.

"Stand down!" the leader shouted, several dozen armed soldiers, tanks, and a helicopter surrounding her on all sides. Panting hard, Coral glanced back in the director the Hulk had taken off in, before smiling softly, exhaling, putting her hands on her head, and kneeling on the ground.

* * *

Coral King was in a bit of a pickle, in that she fit into so many categories that no one knew what to do with her.

She was an agent of SHIELD and an Avenger, so that gave her special clearance when dealing with enemies of The State; but even intelligence operatives cannot execute a hundred enemy soldiers and scientists without orders, complicated by the fact that HYDRA was (in many ways) The State at the time (and several of the soldiers and scientists in the Jörmungandr bunker had been in SHIELD's employ); but she was also a captive, a subject of brainwashing, and a minor at the time, so she cannot be held accountable; but she also lied about the event to the world, aided and abetted the escape of a wanted fugitive, and was a legal US Citizen and Voting Adult, both of which might be taken away from her if certain members of Congress and the Secretary of State had their way.

With the US possibly disowning her, Germany and Wakanda defending her, and countries like Russia, China, and Latveria calling for her head, Coral was, for the time being, in limbo. Until NATO and the UN could decide what to do with the War Hero/Criminal, they kept her in a high tech but exceedingly humane prison for Enhanced Individuals who were awaiting trial. This was where Captain America visited her less than a day after her capture. She looked tired, but relatively clean, healthy, and unharmed, apart from her left wrist in a proper cast and sling, sitting in an orange prison uniform that greatly contrasted the white… everything in her cell.

" … You just had to attack the Task Force, didn't you," Cap said. Coral raised and eyebrow at him and the two stared each other down… until they both started chuckling.

"They were attacking a member of our team, Cap. I had to do something," she shrugged.

"I know. They may have made us take Banner off the roster, but he'll always be one of us. Just like you," he assured her.

"… So what's happened so far?" she asked. Cap sat down in the chair directly opposite where she sat on her bed.

"Tony's got the best lawyers working on your legal strategy. Thor sent word that the weapons and prisoners are safe on Asgard and he will testify in your favor if need be. They lost the Hulk's trail, it's like he vanished not long after you made him run. Clint say don't die, he's going to kill you himself. Nat says, 'Sit tight, we'll get you out soon,'" he said, while blinking out in morse code to her: _Nat planning escape; they won't let her see you._

Coral kept her face neutral, biting her lip before making her decision. "… Tell Nat I don't want to see her. Thanks, but I can take care of myself," she said. The last thing the Avengers needed was more bad publicity thanks to her. Cap frowned but nodded. "How's everyone else?" Coral asked, glancing at all the recording devices that the prison thought they'd hidden well. Cap hesitated.

"Your friend, Brody, will be fine; he'll be in a wheelchair but otherwise okay. The girls are alright; a couple of superficial wounds but nothing Helen Cho can't heal. Sue, Johnny, and Reed want you to know that their friend has shaken his illness and is out of the hospital," Cap said. Coral nodded; Sinthea had been controlling Ben Grimes with her magic; he was no more responsible for his actions than Hawkeye under Loki or Banner under Hulk. Speaking of-

"What happened to Betty?" Coral asked. Cap sighed and shook his head.

"House arrest with her father and his security watching her. They've got a power dampening collar to prevent her changing into the Red Hulk." Coral closed her eyes and held her head in her hands. Cap reached out to her, but stopped right before the invisible barrier burned or electrocuted him.

"I know this is bad. But we'll get you through this. You'll be back with us before Purim!" he promised.

"Good. I feel like if I'm gone for more than a year, you guys will do something else stupid." He chuckled at that, only to stop when the doors burst open.

"Time's up," a guard said.

"I've only been here three minutes!" Cap cried.

"Cap, save the fight for another day," Coral said. He pursed his lips but nodded. Coral approached the barrier, to the nervousness of the guards, and held out a hand a centimeter away. Cap copied the action, until the soldiers decided enough is enough and nearly dragged the captain to the door. "Take care of them, Cap. Whatever happens, you have to stay together."

"We will. I promise!" he said, the door slamming shut behind him. Coral stayed standing for a moment, before collapsing to her knees, sobbing.

Coulson. Her sisters. Ophelia. Sinthea. Banner. And now she may never see any of the Avengers again.

How many people would she lose before she lost herself?

She was alone. Trapped. In a way she wasn't sure she had ever been. She could probably escape the cell, but her name, her identity, her very being would be forever hunted if she did. Not to mention how it would hurt the Team. _The Team_. Coral leaned against her bunk. She'd known being an Avenger would put the weight of the world on her shoulders, but she hadn't truly realized how much of that weight would be pressurized scrutiny. How could she have known? She was still SHIELD's little secret when she joined. She still didn't know how much influence the Avengers would lose by advocating her. Coral took deep breaths, steadying herself and her resolve; if she ever got out of here, she was done with hero work. She'd keep her friends and keep helping people, but she could not continue to see her family and team torn apart time and time again.

Not because of her.

If she got out, she was gone.

No more SHIELD.

No more HYDRA.

No more Avengers


	32. Crossfire

Crossfire

Six months later, Coral was still in the cell. However, thanks to Tony and his lawyers, her cell was no longer a white-on-white room with only the bare necessities; now, it was like a college dorm room, with posters and books and even a TV/computer (with limited access, of course), only with one wall cut out and no windows or doors. It was on that TV that Coral was watching footage of the Avengers' most recent fight against the now suicidal Crossbones, who was still hoping to destroy the world for his lost love, Sinthea Schmidt. He almost succeeded in destroying Cap and a good portion of Lagos. Thankfully, Wanda made a shield around his bomb at the last second, keeping the blast contained. But even she couldn't hold it forever, and started looking for a place to disperse it. "Wanda, no, the building!" Coral cried when she realized what the other Avenger was about to do. Too late. The blast engulfed the upper floors of a nearby medical building. Screaming. Smoke. The image people crying over their loved ones' bodies.

That was all the news had been covering since. For the third time in a year, an Avenger had been a direct cause of civilian casualties. No way to hide or outrun it this time.

And now, action was being taken. What some people called "The Sokovia Accords," everyone knew to be something else: A Superhero Registration Act. One that promised to end civilian casualties by limiting where the Avengers and other Enhanced individuals could go, what they could do, and how they could do it.

And Coral was stuck; she wanted to agree with its theory, but she knew that doing so would even further muddy the uncharted waters of her situation. And as far as she knew, the Accords didn't distinguish between superheroes and Enhanced individuals. Any Inhuman, Alien, or person with unique abilities or skills could qualify. And that scared her.

Still, life went on. Or, rather, didn't. "I'm sorry about Peggy," Coral said when Steve signed on for their weekly video chat as he flew to England for his ex-girlfriend's funeral.

"Thank you. We knew it was coming, but-"

"It's always sudden."

"Yeah." They sat in silence for a moment, reminiscing and enjoying each other's presence, virtual or not.

"I saw what happened in Nigeria." Coral said when Steve signed on for his weekly call. He sighed but didn't answer. "I told you Wanda needed more training before you put her up for consistent field work."

"Don't blame her for this-"

"I wouldn't and, in many ways, I don't. It was Rumlow who did this and if she hadn't been there, the blast would have killed hundreds more. But the rest of the world won't see her like that," Coral said, gesturing to her cell.

"You're talking about the accords," he sighed.

"Can't blame me, Cap; it's all anyone's talking about right now. That and my impending guilty ruling-"

"We don't know how the courts will rule-" Steve stopped when he saw a raised eyebrow on an exhausted and defeated face. The trial had been a farce; while Coral was a hero to many people of the world, her affiliation with revolutionaries, socialists, and human rights activists did not make her popular with many governments. Even her own government was turning on her, courtesy of Secretary Ross' hatred of all things and people Hulk related. Add in the power of China, Russia, Latveria, and the surviving HYDRA operatives who had managed to infiltrate various authoritarian governments and she was a dead woman walking.

"Enough of that," Coral said, shaking herself from her funk. "We need to talk strategy; from what Sam and Rhodey messaged me, most everyone's already made their decisions. You're the deciding factor and you need to do a lot of self-analysis before you act; Tony might have been a main reason for these Accords, but you're still the leader. We follow your lead and even you aren't infallible." He exhaled and ran a hand through his hair.

"So what do you suggest I do?" he asked.

"I don't know, Steve," Coral sighed, pausing for a moment. "I think that with all the police brutality coming to light recently that all cops should wear cameras and be held accountable…" She could tell that such a comparison hurt him and so she conceded, "but after HYDRA and everything that's happened with Hulk and my trial, I don't trust the government enough to sign my soul over to them."

Cap nodded and the two sat in silence again. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end and soon enough, their time was up, his plane was landing, and they had to sign off. But before they parted ways, Coral reminded him, "Remember why Professor Erskine chose you, Cap. And remember, millions of people ask, 'What Would Captain America Do?' but in the end, what matters most is 'What Would Steve Rogers Do?'" He smiled at her and nodded, the two Avengers saluting each other signing off.


	33. Accordance

**A/N: IT'S MY BIRTHDAY, I'LL GET HIGH IF I WANT TO!**

 **Not really. But I probably will have my first drink.**

 **Thanks for your patience, I am finally caught up update wise. I can't promise that once a month updates will return or that the next chapters will have been BETA read, but I will do my best. Oh, and the next couple of chapters won't have much action in them, but that comes with having the main character in a prison cell for most of the story. Thanks again and please review** **!**

Accordance

"Everyone must be feeling sentimental; I just got a call from Rogers a couple hours ago, and now this," Coral said, as the Avengers' resident genius billionaire (former) playboy philanthropist walked into the room.

"Really. Did he say anything about me?" Tony asked, using his typical swagger to mask a touch of concern in his voice. She shrugged.

"Oh the usual. How your ego is going to be the death of us all." He scoffed.

"He should look in the mirror."

"That's what I said!" Coral said. They also slipped into silence, a rarity for them. Though this one was wrought with tension, compared to the serenity of her silences with Steve; though she was still frustrated with Tony for the Ultron situation, she also loved Tony and was thankful for his help throughout her trial. Plus, he was the only one on the team who made sure to see her in-person every month. "I'm sorry about Pepper," Coral said and she meant it. He shrugged.

"Don't be," he said. "She was right to leave my sorry ass after everything I've put her through."

"That's not true, Tony. Besides, she said she needed a break, not a break-up. She's not one to string you along," she said. He just sighed and slipped his swagger back into place.

"Enough with the pity party, it's present time!" he said, producing a bag seemingly from nowhere. He slid it up to the barrier, which scanned the contents before sliding them through to Coral. She opened it to find…

" _Sansevieria trifasciata_ , also known as 'Viper's bowstring hemp,' 'snake plant,' 'mother-in-law's tongue,' or 'Saint George's sword,'" Coral said, reading the label on the house plant. She gave him an unimpressed look worthy of Natasha Romanoff. "You just couldn't resist the puns, could you."

"I knew you'd appreciate it."

Coral kept the look for a moment before she gave into a forming grin. "I do. Thank you." She put the pot on her desk and plumped it like a pillow. "I think I'll name her Kaa or Nagini. Either those or Natasha. I need someone to talk to since Nat's still mad at me."

"She misses you, you know," he said. "In her own stoic way."

"I know. But I'm not the one keeping us apart," Coral said. Tony looked around the cell and back at her with a raised eyebrow, knowing full-well she could get out any time she wanted. Coral pursed her lips. "It's not just me, in any case." He seemed to accept that. They spent the rest of the time talking about little nonsense things, to his budding 'BARF' technology to the latest funny story Peter had told her. They were careful to avoid or at least code any sensitive topic, lest they say anything that compromise the Team or any other secrets under their protection. Of course, that meant the visits were relatively short, the prison guards not wanting to risk the two of them hatching an escape plan.

"Tell them all one thing for me?" Coral asked as the guards came in to collect him. Tony nodded. "Tell them."

"Oh, one more thing!" she called after him. He turned back around to face her. "You know my friend, Peter?" He gave her a half-shrug, half-nod. "He's been going through some… _changes_ lately and I think he could use a mentor." Tony's eyes lit up at the realization.

"So, pass the message along to Cap?" he asked.

"Tony… " He softened when he saw the sincerity and sorrow in her eyes.

"… Okay kid. I'll look out for him," he said and she smiled. Then he was led out, the two of them trying to assure themselves that this was not a goodbye.

(Page)

Coral was meditating when he came in; nevertheless, she knew who it was.

"I've heard you putting a little committee together. I assume this is your attempt to get me on board with your new Reich," Coral said. She opened her eyes and stared down Secretary of State Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross.

"I'm going to be straight with you, Miss King: the only reason you are not dead is because you have very powerful friends. However, even their influence will not be enough to hold back the Reaper's scythe forever," he said, not even bothering to hide the contempt in his voice.

"I suppose you're here with the alternative?" Coral said. He set down a file, which was scanned and passed through the barrier like her plant.

"The United Nations has agreed to issue you an international pardon for your crimes against humanity. In return, you would be expected to sign the Sokovia Accords," he said as she opened the file to a copy of the Sokovia Accords.

"That's it? I sign a piece of paper and I get to go home? No harm, no foul?" she asked, not even bothering to hide her disdainful disbelief.

"There are a few more… caveats, in your case," he said and she rolled her eyes.

"Here it comes-"

"We understand that you acted as the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s liaison between them and Enhanced individuals who were a part of neither organization."

 _The Defenders. Dozens of Enhanced civilians just trying to live their lives._ "No."

"As a gesture of good faith, we would need you to reveal their identities to us so that we may approach and make them aware of the situation-"

"NO!" Coral screamed, throwing her new plant at what would have been Ross' head, though it shattered against the barrier and just made a mess of soil, ceramics, and plant matter on the floor of her cell. Still, she rounded on him, as furious as the Hulk.

"How dare you think I would sell out others just to save my own skin," she seethed. He stared her down but glanced away slightly. She faltered. "There's more, isn't there."

He straightened up. "We would also need you to reveal the locations of all Chimera and HYDRA operatives you know of, former or otherwise."

Her sisters. "Get out."

He stuck out his chin but moved to leave. Though he turned back at the last moment: "The clock is ticking, Miss King. You ever seen an execution?"

"Yes. Carried it out, in fact," she said, remembering the crack of Svetlana's neck snapping.

"Well then, you know how unpleasant of an experience it is," he said, walking away. Coral stood there seething, boiling herself in her rage… until she stopped and remembered the Avengers' faces when she told them the possibility that she wouldn't get out of this cell alive.

"I need Internet access," she called out to Ross. He stopped. "Unlimited. And unsurveyed." He turned around.

"Absolutely not-"

"Secretary Ross, how can you expect me to make an informed decision without consulting news sites and other professionals?" Coral asked, standing tall and rolling her shoulders to summon all the authority she'd learned from watching her teammates. "Besides, for the time being, I am still an American; I have a right to consult my lawyer on this."


	34. Winter Comes

**A/N: Sorry it's a little late. Hope you enjoy and please review!**

Winter Comes

"So, what do you think?" Coral asked Jennifer Walters over their video chat.

" … I think you should sign it," Jennifer said after a moment. Coral blinked and smacked her lips before looking away.

"Really."

Jennifer sighed and shrugged. "Look, I don't know Ross personally, but I know him by reputation; and he will not stop until he has the Hulk back in his grasp, defeated and alone. If that means going through you to do it, even better." _So I'm just another tool._ "It's not a bad deal. You have assurances that your sisters and the other Enhanced people you know will not be harmed, they will probably just be asked to sign the accords as well." _Great; a pyramid scheme that doubles as a watch list_ and _a hit list._ "This is just a foot in the door. It puts you on more equal footing to negotiate in the future." _At this point, I'm not even sure there's going to_ be _a future._

"I've gotta go."

"What?"

"I've gotta _go_ ," Coral said, shutting her laptop.

* * *

According to the news, anyone who was anyone was supporting the Sokovia Accords. And considering Norman Osborn, CEO of Oscorp, Editor J. Jonah Jameson of the Daily Bugle, and Trish Walker of TrishTalk had all published praising statements of the Sokovia Accords, it wasn't hard to see why. Still, she couldn't help but be a little disheartened by one news update.

"When asked about the accords, Thor the God of Thunder gave a brief statement, saying that though he is not of Asgard (Earth) and therefore cannot take any official position other than neutral, that he supports the idea of the Accords and believes in having a Watcher keep the Avengers in check. This directly contradicts Dr. Jane Foster's earlier comment that she would never support the Accords and doubted that the God of Thunder would. The two were spotted arguing over his statement in a New York restaurant before the part-time Avenger returned to Asgard," the newscaster said in that somewhat uncanny news reporter tone. Coral closed her laptop and groaned, rubbing her head.

 _Well, if Thor and Vision are the two most moral members of the Avengers according to Mjölnir, then shouldn't I follow their lead?_ a part of Coral said.

Another part of her said: _You're really going to let a magic hammer decide for you? Besides, they mean well, but Vision had been alive for a year and Thor may not have read the whole thing yet._

Frustrated, Coral turned from coverage of the Accords to coverage of Nigeria.

 _If I had been there and not allowed myself to be locked up by them, I could have covered crowd control in Nigeria and we wouldn't be in this mess_ , Coral thought to herself. _But if I hadn't let myself be taken, we would have started the war much sooner. And it wouldn't be us against us it would be us against the_ world _._

Or maybe not. There was no way for her to know.

 _So, screw theoreticals,_ Coral thought to herself. _Time to focus on the facts._

117 out of 198 countries in the world had ratified this treaty. Among them were the most powerful and populated nations in the world. But also, many of them were fascist states such as China, Russia, and Latveria. If she signed herself over to them, she would have to stop talking to her revolutionary friends, as she would never be able to know if she was being watched. And that's if they didn't order her to hand them over like how she would have to hand over her sisters.

Meanwhile, the UN bombing had Bucky Barnes at the scene… but they also lived in a world of mind control and photostatic veils, meaning anyone could have done it with enough resources and motivation, neither of which the former Winter Soldier had. Yet HYDRA had not come out to take credit for the attack, so that meant it wasn't them using Barnes or orchestrating this affair. At least, not directly.

The Winter Soldier had broken out of the Joint Counter-Terrorist Centre, Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers being accused of aiding and abetting him… but the cameras had gone out with the power and Coral's Spy Senses were tingling with suspicion over the fact that the power had gone out at all.

Scarlet Witch had escaped the New Avengers Facility where she had been put under "house arrest" aka lawful internment, aided by the now-not-retired Hawkeye (she was going to strangle Barton for doing this to Laura and his kids). Vision had been pushed through about five hundred feet of solid earth as a result, though it seemed his feelings were hurt more than his body. This meant there was no dissenting person she could talk to at the moment.

Coral was stuck. She wanted to talk to Coulson, but she didn't know where he was. She wanted to talk to Bruce, but _no one_ knew where he was. She wanted to talk to Nat, but she already knew Nat's position and wasn't sure her friend could be unbiased (or even if Nat would be willing to talk to her, as she hadn't ever since Coral had refused to escape).

So, left with no other choice, she wrote to the only person who would never turn her away.

 _This is bullshit_ , Susan Storm wrote to her over Coral's carefully encrypted secret line; even then, she only had about two minutes before the prison found out and cut the line.

 _I'm not telling them anything, if that's what you're worried about_ , Coral wrote.

 _That's not what we're worried about_ , Johnny commented.

 _You should be. They might come after you. In any case, I need you guys to get the word out; everyone who has powers or training needs to lie low for a while. Go to Canada or one of the other countries that didn't sign the treaty if they can, the point is, don't be home when the Counter Terrorism Task Force comes knocking_ , she wrote.

… _What are you going to do?_ Susan typed after a long pause.

… _I don't know. But be ready when I decide._

* * *

Coral was staring at her laptop screen, though she saw nothing. She honestly had no idea what to do. If she didn't sign, she was a dead woman. If she did sign, she would betray everything she had ever lived for. That's when she got an email. At first, it seemed like junk that had somehow managed to slip through her preset filters. But the moment before she hit delete, she recognized the domain. It was the same name she had used when infecting Nick Fury's computer with the coded virus that would lead him to the Viper's Nest. Decrypting it, she found the following quote that Coulson had told her many times as a Mercenary / Agent of SHIELD: "Compromise where you can. Where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say 'No, you move.'"

Coral sighed and thought it over. _Maybe there's a way for me to compromise… and stand my ground._

Straightening up, Coral looked at the facts and started planning.

Once she had her strategy as firm as her resolve, Coral Julie King picked up her phone, dialed the number, and said, "This is Viper… I'm in."


End file.
